


Constant Changes

by ElliottRookArchive (ElliottRook)



Category: Digimon Adventure Zero Two | Digimon Adventure 02
Genre: AU: The Digimon Kaiser Won, F/M, Implied Sexual Content, Minor Violence, Redemption, and the kidnapper was brainwashed all along anyway?, anime-style Power Of Friendship saves the day, is it really Stockholm syndrome if the kidnappee changes the kidnapper's mind?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2001-08-23
Updated: 2020-03-30
Packaged: 2021-02-28 19:07:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 16
Words: 53,132
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23392219
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ElliottRook/pseuds/ElliottRookArchive
Summary: Alternate-Universe Season Two. What if the second team of DigiDestined had lost to Kimeramon and the Digimon Kaiser, and he kept them as prisoners? Six years later, after giving up all hope, the DigiDestined are stunned when the Kaiser suddenly becomes curious about them...one of them in particular.
Relationships: Ichijouji Ken/Inoue Miyako | Yolei Inoue, Motomiya Daisuke | Davis Motomiya/Yagami Hikari | Kari Kamiya
Comments: 6
Kudos: 12





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This fic was very nearly a songfic, but it got entirely too long, so I'm just going to leave this here.
> 
>  _Know all about, yeah, 'bout your reputation  
>  And how it's bound to be a heartbreak situation  
> But I can't help it if I'm helpless every time  
> That I'm where you are  
> You walk in and my strength walks out the door  
> Say my name and I can't fight it any more  
> Oh, I know I should go,  
> But I need your touch just too damn much  
> Yeah, loving you,  
> Isn't really something I should do  
> Shouldn't wanna spend my time with you  
> Well, I should try to be strong  
> But, baby, you're the right kind of wrong  
> Yeah, baby, you're the right kind of wrong  
> Might be a mistake  
> A mistake I'm making  
> But what you're giving I am happy to be taking  
> 'Cause no one's ever made me the feel the way I feel when I'm  
> In your arms  
> They say you're something I should do without  
> They don't know what goes on when the lights go out  
> There's no way to explain  
> All the pleasure is worth all the pain  
> Of loving you  
> Yeah, isn't really something I should do  
> Shouldn't wanna spend my time with you  
> Well, I should try to be strong  
> But, baby, you're the right kind of wrong  
> Yeah, baby, you're the right kind of wrong  
> I should try to run  
> But I just can't seem to  
> 'Cause every time I run  
> You're the one I run to  
> Can't live without  
> What you do to me  
> I don't care if I'm in too deep, yeah  
> Know all about, 'bout your reputation  
> And how it's bound to be a heartbreak situation  
> But I can't help it if I'm helpless every time  
> That I'm where you are  
> You walk in and my strength walks out the door  
> Say my name and I can't fight it any more  
> Oh, I know I should go,  
> But I need your touch just too damn much  
> Loving you, yeah  
> Isn't really something I should do  
> Shouldn't wanna spend my time with you  
> Well, I should try to be strong  
> But, baby, you're the right kind of wrong  
> Baby, you're the right kind of wrong  
> Yeah, baby, you're the right kind of wrong_  
> \--LeAnn Rimes, _Right Kind of Wrong_

From Takeru's journal:

November 3

_Well, this is it. The sixth anniversary of our imprisonment._

_I still miss Patamon with every passing moment._

_I think, on reflection, that we should have known that we would never win. Ken was just too strong. Too powerful. Kimeramon was too devilish of a beast._

_We lost to him._

_But Ken didn't kill us._

_I thank God, or whoever is up there, every day, for that._

_My best friends are all still alive._

_Our digimon are alive, too, but we're not allowed to speak to them. I have not had any direct communication with Patamon in six long years, but sometimes we ask the digimon slaves about them, and so we know they are all still alive--and as okay as you can be wearing a Dark Spiral._

_The last words I said to him were, "It's gonna be all right, Pegasusmon." Right. And even after he de-digivolved back to Patamon and Ken defeated us, I still believed it, for a while. Up until I looked in the mirror one morning, realized that on Earth the older DigiDestined have long since given up on us, our parents have stopped searching for us, and also realized that I'll probably live out the rest of my days in this suite._

_Ken must have a soft side, because we're not ill-treated. We're each living in a suite of nice rooms (a bedroom, bathroom, kitchenette, and tiny private living room) with a common living room (since the private ones only hold two people comfortably) and dining room, all of which are cleaned for us by digimon slaves. We get three good meals a day. He keeps us in decent, comfortable clothes. He's given us the curriculum to finish our educations--we've had so little to keep us busy we all got ahead, even Davis. We've all finished college, except Cody, who's finished with high school and will soon be a sophomore in college._

_And the five of us have each other. Kari and Davis are a little closer than the rest of us care to get, but we've all grown accustomed and resigned to this life._

_I feel sorry for Cody. The rest of us had a chance to live a little before this happened, but he was only ten. He's sixteen now and he should be able to enjoy himself. That's a weird feeling. He's older now than the rest of us were when this whole mess happened. Kari, Davis and I were thirteen, and Yolei was fifteen._

_I don't know what could ever happen to get us out now. I guess the fact that we've resigned ourselves to our fate is a good thing. There's not much we can do to change it now._

_T.K.--Takeru Takaishi_

* * *

Ken was in the control room, monitoring different areas of the Digital World. Once he'd captured the DigiDestined, taking over had been a snap.

He was not sure why he had not killed them.

Maybe it was a twinge from his soft side. He _did_ have one, he just didn't admit to it.

Maybe he was afraid. He had an idea that if the DigiDestined were destroyed, the Digital World might be destroyed.

Maybe he just wanted to toy with them. At any minute he could send a digimon down there to kill them all, and they knew it. They were defenseless without their own digimon.

"Master?" A low, quavering voice asked. It was Wormmon.

"What is it?" Ken asked through clenched teeth. The thought had crossed his mind once or twice that maybe he should put a Dark Spiral on Wormmon, but Wormmon could not possibly be any more submissive than he was naturally. If Wormmon was put through that, not much would change.

The small digimon cowered before his Digipartner. "Today it's been six years since you captured the DigiDestined."

"Six years? Is that all?" Ken smiled crookedly. "Have I ever been to check on them?"

"Only once, Master. Back when you first captured them, you watched them go into their prison."

 _I can't believe I never went back. I wonder what they do all day._ Ken did not express the thought verbally. It was a weak thought. Something from the soft side he had once tried to obliterate, and on discovering that it was impossible, now just hid it. "Hmph. My digimon serve me well. I have not lost track of them. I know what goes on. Everything. Perhaps I should go gloat over their defeat."

Before Wormmon could say, "Whatever makes you happy, Master," Ken was up out of his chair and heading for the rooms where he kept his most prized trophy of victory over the DigiWorld.

_But why am I doing this? Why do I care now?_


	2. Chapter 2

Davis and Kari were on the living room couch. She let him kiss her, and then when he leaned back, she went right with him. She kissed him, and he wrapped his arms around her waist. She had her arms around his neck. She giggled quietly. He kept leaning further back until he was laying down on the couch and Kari was laying on top of him.

"Kari..." he whispered. "I love you."

"I love you, too, Dai-kun, but I think we should go somewhere else to continue."

"Like where? My rooo--"

Kari placed a finger on his lips. "Maybe. But I'm not gonna fool around until you can give me a ring and a ceremony."

"I know that--I respect that--and Kari-chan, I wish I could give you those things. But I don't know if a marriage in the Digital World would be legal in the real world. If we ever got out..."

"Dai-kun, it's been six years. Don't you think that it's a little unlikely that we'll ever get out?"

"Well..."

Kari sighed, and laid her chin down on his chest, locking his eyes with hers. "I think that if we did get out, it would be legal. When someone moves to another country, their marriage is legal even if their ceremony is different than the customary one of the new country."

"Well, okay. But still, do you think we could get Ken to let us?"

Almost immediately, tears formed in her eyes. "I don't know, Dai-kun. I just don't know." She started to cry.

He ran his hand over her back reassuringly. "Shh...it's okay, Kari-chan. I'll do what I can as soon as I can."

Just then, a door opened. Kari jerked her head up and looked toward the doors of their suites. Nope. Nothing. She looked around and her eyes rested on a figure in the dark hallway outside the four walls.

"Who's there?"

Davis was on the alert. That heavy, metal door usually only opened at mealtimes, and that was a while off. He sat up, Kari in his lap. She backed off so that she was next to him. He grabbed hold of her shoulders. "Who are you?" he asked defensively, staring at the open doorway.

The dark figure of Ken, the Digimon Kaiser, came in through the door, followed by Wormmon.

Kari stiffened. Davis got in front of her. "If you want her, you have to get through me."

"How touching," Ken laughed. "But it doesn't matter. I am here to see all of you." He turned around. "Wormmon! Fetch the rest of them!"

"Yes, Master." Wormmon went to the doors of the other DigiDestined and quickly got them all out in the living room.

Ken surveyed the lot before him.

Takeru, better known as T.K., Takaishi. Looked like the typical American boy-next-door, even if he was Japanese. Tall, blond, blue-eyed. Maybe handsome. Ken wasn't sure what women thought of men. In fact, when it came to women, he had no clue whatsoever. But he knew the look in T.K.'s eyes at that moment would freeze fire.

Hikari, or just Kari, Kamiya. Pretty, but not worth wasting his time. He knew she loved Davis. Geez, their position when he had walked in--! She had let her hair grow out--just a little bit. It still didn't reach her shoulders. It framed her small, frightened face nicely. Ken wondered if she always looked like that or if it was the sight of him that was making her tremble. He figured it was his presence--Kari always had been scared of him and the powers of darkness he represented.

Daisuke You-better-call-me-Davis Motomiya. Still wearing those ridiculous goggles. What was the point? Sure, Ken himself wore those yellow sunglasses, but at least he wore his over his eyes. Davis's appearance had changed little, other than that he was taller, his jawline was stronger, his expression harder.

Iori, Cody to his friends, Hida. Just becoming a man. Tall. He'd been the shortest of the DigiDestined, short even for his age, and now he was six feet tall. Broad-shouldered, sharp-eyed. Of course, Ken was sure the eyes were as soft as they always had been when he wasn't around.

Miyako--who had always hated her name and asked to be called Yolei, which she liked a lot better--Inoue. She still wore the same kerchief, now well-worn, on her head. Her violet hair trailed down over her shoulders, and--and---what else could he tell? She was not looking up at him with a hard or frightened face as were the rest. In fact, she was looking at the floor.

He pulled his whip out. He held onto both ends, not flicking it out to hurt like usual. He made a loop of it, pulled it tight enough so it wouldn't flop, and placed it under Yolei's chin, pushing it upwards to force her to look at him.

Her eyes were closed underneath her wire-framed glasses.

"Look at me!" Ken demanded, pushing her face upward a little more.

It was starting to hurt Yolei, just a little, and she opened her eyes so suddenly it almost surprised Ken.

Those eyes--!

Her brown eyes were not harsh, nor scared. They were not admiring.

They were--surprised. Like she had--even in that split second--seen something in him she was not expecting.

"What's the matter, Inoue?" Ken spat. "You look like you've never seen a Kaiser before."

Suddenly she was angry. "I still haven't!"

Ken's anger came just as quickly. He withdrew the loop of whip from under her chin and smacked her over the head with it.

She put a hand over the spot, not saying anything, but staring at him contemptuously.

Ken stepped back a bit. "I am sure you're all wondering why I'm here."

T.K. frowned. "No, no, you lock us away for six years and then suddenly show up and drag us all out here. I'm not in the least curious."

"Shut up, Takaishi. I still haven't forgiven you for punching me that day and if I hear any more out of you you'll be duly punished." Ken lifted his whip in warning.

T.K. bit his lip. He was tempted to try punching him again, but the digimon slave guards that he knew were out in the hall made him keep his peace.

"Truthfully, there was no reason, other than to see how you like it here. Apparently being imprisoned has done you no physical harm. None of you look sick. Tell me, what do you think of this?"

No one spoke. Things were okay the way they were. If anyone complained, or asked for anything, there was a possibility he meant to give it to them, but on the other hand, he might use their complaining as an excuse to put them in a far worse situation.

But...

Davis raised his hand, almost as if he was in school.

Ken grinned, just a little, to himself. "Well, Motomiya, what is it?"

"Um...Ken, Kaiser, sir, um..."

Ken flicked his whip forward, not hitting Davis, but letting it dangle in his face. "I don't _have_ all day. Just spit it out."

"Well...Kaiser...everything is great, except for two things."

"One being that you're here," Ken guessed.

"Well, yeah, that's not good, but I meant that if we _have_ to stay here, there's two things wrong with being here." He paused.

"Well? What _are_ they?" Ken was impatient as usual.

"Well, Kaiser sir, we have no idea what's going on outside. What happened to the Digital World? And what about our world? Our families?"

"Oh, that." Ken spat. "I'll have one of my slaves bring you the records and after that a daily report on the Digital World. I can't get information about the real world. I've tried. What's the other thing?"

"Well, Kaiser, sir...Kari and I want to get married."

The other four jerked their heads up, even Kari. Not because of the want, that was no surprise, but the fact that Davis dared to ask for it.

Ken laughed. "Well, what should it matter to me? Why shouldn't you? But I don't think the Digital World has a marriage ceremony."

Davis frowned. "We just want a ceremony and papers stating it's legal so that--so that--"

"So that when I die and you get to go home people won't call you shameless?"

"We get to go home when you die?" Cody asked.

Ken smirked. "Sure, why should I care then? But the odds are in my favor. I'll probably long outlive all of you. Motomiya--when?"

Davis blinked and looked at Kari. "What do you think?"

"Dai-kun, we've been together for five years...I don't care if we are only nineteen...I'm ready anytime."

Davis hugged her close, and turned his face toward Ken. "You heard her. As soon as possible."

Ken nodded. "So be it." He turned on his heel and left the room, the door closing behind him.

The sound of the lock clicking had never been louder.

* * *

The records of the Digital World were brought that night. The five took turns reading aloud. It was a horrible experience, but one that none of them would have missed for anything in their present situation.

Everything was under Ken's control. He really was Kaiser over the entire Digital World, and no one complained because there was only one living Digimon that did not have a Dark Spiral, and that was Wormmon. Even the DigiDestined's digimon were under the spell. Veemon, Hawkmon, Armadillomon, Patamon, and Gatomon were Ken's personal slaves.

"So that's why he didn't kill them. It was more fun to rub it in," T.K. said. "I always wondered."

Kari started crying, softly. "I never did. I was just too grateful that they were alive to care why."

Davis put an arm around her. "It's all right, Kari-chan. You're right. All that matters is that they're alive."

They were up late, reading the stack of papers that chronicled the happenings of the Digital World. "It's terrible," Cody said, hugging his knees to his chest. "All those Digimon...and none having free will. It's injustice."

* * *

Ken was up late himself, but for a very different reason.

At nights he was not the Digimon Kaiser. He was alone. There was no one to call him Master.

He did not wear the glasses, jumpsuit, and cape that had become his trademark. He washed the gel out of his hair in the shower and it calmed down, becoming straight and falling close to his head again. He put on soft gray pajamas, and looked almost like he had before the whole Kaiser thing had started.

And for the few minutes he allowed himself to think about it, he was not the Kaiser.

He was just Ken.

Ken Ichijouji.

That night, the thought of his own name made him smile. It had been so long since anyone had said it. He said it aloud just to see if it sounded the same.

"Ken Ichijouji."

Yes, it did. Boy genius, Ken Ichijouji. It had an old, familiar--yet foreign--ring to it.

For just one second, he wished he was fifteen again, and had never discovered the Digital World. Getting ready to sleep in the bunk bed over the sliding door in his old room in the apartment building with his parents.

And then, the thought of his parents made him angry. He remembered his brother Sam, and suddenly home went back to being uninviting.

He went outside his bathroom into his bedroom. He had a large bed. _Why did I have everything built so big? It makes everything seem empty. Such a large bed for one person all alone. It seems--kind of lonely._

Ken was upset with himself. He was being far too emotional today. He was letting his soft side into his conscious thoughts. Usually he kept it so well-hidden that even he forgot it existed.

Dimming the lights down all the way until there was just enough light so he wouldn't trip if he got up in the night, he laid down in the bed between the midnight-blue silk sheets and rolled over on his side to try to sleep.

But he couldn't.

He thought back to earlier in the day, when he had been to see the DigiDestined.

He remembered the look in Yolei's eyes. When she had surprised him just by looking at him, when he had hit her.

_She was pretty._

He had not allowed himself to think about it all the rest of the day, but now he was finally alone and he came to that conclusion. Yolei, in the midst of her fear of him and her defiance, was pretty.

She had always had a crush on him--no, on Ken. She had always hated him as the Digimon Kaiser.

_But aren't we one and the same?_

Ken let his thoughts travel in another direction as he shifted positions, trying to get comfortable.

It got very lonely. Besides the prisoners he never spoke with, the only being with the free will to make conversation was Wormmon, and Wormmon was not a good conversationalist. Well, maybe he was. Ken had never tried to find out.

Often he wished for companionship. Not during the day--his business about the DigiWorld kept him busy--but the times like now, he wished there was someone to discuss things like this with.

He sat up and buzzed for Wormmon, who stayed in the control room unless ordered to do something.

The small, green digimon was in the room within a few minutes. "Yes, Master?" he asked in a normal tone, but his expression gave him away. He had never seen Ken at night, and he was surprised to see the "old" Ken and not the Kaiser.

"Wormmon, do you ever get lonely?"

Wormmon inched closer to the bed, and finally jumped up on it. Ken did not protest, and Wormmon was surprised again. Ken was letting a lot slide tonight. Wormmon decided to speak his mind. "No, Master, I have you."

 _He still thinks of me as Ken. But how could he consider me good company? I push him around all the time, and kick him, and...anyway..._ "But, I..."

"You still talk to me, even if you are mean to me when you do." Wormmon flinched, sure he'd said too much and that he was going to get hurt for it.

Ken laid back down, surprising him again. Wormmon started to back off.

"No. I order you to stay right there," Ken said. _Even when I look like this, I am still the Kaiser._ Inside, he wondered if that was good or bad, but refused to think of it in words. That only solidified the thought. "Tell me, Wormmon, do you think I get lonely?"

Wormmon cowered. _What kind of trick is this? What does he want?_ "I know you do, Master. I'm no human. Digimon can get along without digimon if they have a human, but humans need humans."

Ken rolled over on his side, facing Wormmon. "I see." He closed his eyes and yawned in the darkness. "So what do you think I ought to do about it?"

Wormmon was thoroughly confused, but so far, the truth had not gotten him in trouble, so he decided to go on telling it. "Well, Master, I think you ought to let those DigiDestined out of their cells so they can wander the base--of course the control room and engines would have to be locked--and then try to make friends with them."

Ken laughed. "As long as I am the Kaiser, they will never be my friends."

"Well, you need to do something, Master. The loneliness is making you sick. You've lost weight."

 _He noticed?_ Ken was surprised that the digimon he could be so mean to cared about him at all. It was true, though, he had lost weight, and he had been thin to start with. "Wormmon, I can't do what you suggest. You know it would weaken my defenses a hundredfold."

Wormmon frowned. _What I suggest? Since when does he care about anything I say?_

Ken was thinking almost the same thing. _Why? Why do I care? Why do I seem to be taking him seriously? What is this feeling?_

Wormmon finally spoke. "You could go to them."

Ken had fallen halfway asleep, but Wormmon's words woke him fully. "What do you mean?"

"Well, Master, just go down to them and sit. Spend time with them. You might win them over."

Ken thought about it, although less and less by the second...until finally sleep claimed him and he drifted into oblivion.


	3. Chapter 3

In the morning, Ken woke to find Wormmon still on his bed, asleep. He wasn't in the same mood he'd been in when he went to sleep, and he pushed Wormmon off to wake him up. Wormmon was startled awake long before he reached the edge of the bed, though, and Ken saw his expression when he toppled over the edge.

He was honestly hurt, had honestly been hoping that Ken's mood was permanent.

Ken heard the thud Wormmon made as he hit the floor, and for a fleeting second, he was sorry. _That's no way to think about your servant,_ his inner Kaiser told him. He sighed quietly. "Get my clothes ready while I'm in the bathroom," he ordered, "And make me some coffee."

"What kind?" Wormmon ventured to speak.

Ken sighed in irritation. "No flavors or anything, just...plain...black."

"Yes, Master." Wormmon crawled off toward the kitchen.

After a long, hot shower, Ken dressed in the clothes Wormmon had left. The same old jumpsuit, cape, and glasses, only washed. He thought about the night before while he played with his hair.

 _I wonder if I really could make them my friends._ He knew better. He knew the only way to do that was to give up being the Kaiser. And that was something he never wanted to do.

Still, the idea about spending an hour with them in their prison every day appealed to him.

He decided that after he got the Davis/Kari matter settled, he would try it out.

* * *

Actually, the whole marriage laws thing would be pretty easy. When Ken wanted to make a law, he told his Dark-Spiraled Datamon, who wrote it out in legal terms, and then Ken signed it, making it law. Simple as that.

That afternoon, he read over what the Datamon had come up with. _Okay. This makes sense._ Ken signed it and took it down to the prisoners personally.

* * *

T.K. was in the living room reading a book when Ken entered.

"Where are Kamiya and Motomiya?" Ken asked harshly.

T.K. looked at him levelly. "In Motomiya's suite," he said in a cold, flat tone. He then returned to his book.

Ken turned to the enslaved Piximon guard. "Lock the outer door behind me and don't open it until I return."

The Piximon saluted and carried out his orders. Ken walked towards the door of Davis's suite. T.K. looked up. "You might wanna knock first...I think they're... _busy_..."

Ken raised an eyebrow. "Then why the fuss over a ceremony?"

"Huh? _Oh!_ No! I didn't mean _that_ kind of busy...I mean, not going that far...I...well...you know, just...kissing. None of... _that_." T.K. was turning beet red.

Ken nodded skeptically and knocked before pushing the door open. Sure enough, Davis and Kari were sitting on the couch, blushing the same as T.K..

"Anytime you want, I can call up a digimon to perform the ceremony. Here's the laws regarding everything you'll need to know." Ken dropped copies of the papers he had just signed onto the coffee table, and then spun on his heel, leaving the room.

As he went through the main room, Yolei came out of her suite and they ran smack into each other.

She gasped. She was leaning on his arm, and he just stood there, not knowing what to think. If she had been a digimon, he would have pushed her away and kicked her, but, there she was, blushing--in a trance, almost.

Finally he moved his arm away from his body, thereby pushing her back, and she took a step away. "I--I'm sorry, Kaiser, sir, your highness..."

"Kaiser will do nicely." Ken continued on his way wordlessly.

After the Piximon let him out the door, Yolei sank to her knees and clasped her hands to her chest.

T.K. came to her side, and placed a hand on her shoulder. "You okay?"

She nodded. "I was...so scared, T.K.. I was sure we was going to whip me, or hurt me, or something..."

"Well, he didn't. It's okay." He helped her to her feet. "But are you gonna be?"

Yolei nodded.

T.K. went back to the couch and his book.

Yolei had been going to see if Cody wanted to play a game of cards, but suddenly she wasn't in the mood. She went back into her room and laid down on her bed.

Those old feelings...

She thought back, back to when they'd been free, when they'd been battling Ken.

Funny, after they found out who he was in the real world, she could not think of him as the Kaiser. He was Ken. Before they'd found out, she'd had a crush on Ken. Of course, that had been all it was, a crush. They never even met in person until they met in the Digital World.

But now...all that had changed.

Hadn't it?

She'd been scared when Ken had come in the day before. She'd been shocked when he was offering things. Being...nice? No. Not nice. Kindly, but not outright kind.

She was sure he got lonely. When he'd come, she'd been scared for herself and Kari. She'd thought he was after something for sure. At first, she had only worried for herself because Kari had Davis, but then she thought that Ken might be just that cruel as to take Kari, just to spite the pair.

And then she'd looked into his eyes.

He was not being vengeful. He was honestly curious as to how they'd fared. It had surprised her.

And then he'd had to go and make that remark. She'd mouthed off. Her head was still sore from that smack.

What were these feelings? Yolei thought for a few minutes that they resembled the feelings she'd had towards her first boyfriend when they argued. That he was to blame, and yet it really wasn't his fault that he was the way he was.

_No...surely not. I don't still like him. Why would I? As the Kaiser, he's not even handsome. And there's certainly nothing going for him in the personality department._

Yolei fell asleep mulling over it and didn't wake up until dinner.

* * *

When the dinner trays were delivered by a Gazimon, Davis gave it a piece of paper. "Get this to the Kaiser, would ya? It's some very important information he requested, okay?"

The under-the-influence Gazimon just nodded. Enslaved digimon rarely spoke, even when spoken to.

After they ate, Davis stood. "I want to announce something. Kari and I are getting married tomorrow evening."

Yolei hugged Kari. "I'm so happy for you!"

"Congratulations!" Cody said. "Are we invited?"

"You all are. It'd be kind of hard to stop you since we have to do it right here. I just sent the message to Ken a few minutes ago. I--I asked him if all our Digimon could have their Spirals taken off long enough to watch, since we don't have our D-3s anyway. I haven't got an answer yet."

"Thanks, Davis..." T.K. choked, speaking for all of them. "That was a really great thing for you to do, even if he says no."

"I'll be so happy to see Hawkmon, even if it's only for a few minutes..." Yolei sighed.

"Yeah, and Patamon..."

"Armadillomon..."

"Gatomon..."

"Veemon..."

* * *

Ken read Davis's message over again. _Well...I do have their D-3s locked away..._

He glanced across the room, up near the ceiling. Patamon was cleaning cobwebs away. There was a Dark Spiral wrapped around his ear.

_I don't think it'll hurt anything._

* * *

The next morning, after breakfast, a big box arrived for Kari.

She took it into her room, and then had Yolei come look at what she'd gotten.

There was a handwritten note from Ken:

"Kari. I had some Floramon up all night working on this, so it had better be good enough. --The Digimon Kaiser"

"Just like Ken," Yolei sighed.

"But look, Yolei," Kari said. She pulled a bundle of white satin out of the box.

"A wedding gown?" Yolei blinked. "Perfecto!"

Yolei helped Kari into it to see if it would fit, and it did. There was also a veil, and a bouquet of pink rosebuds.

They carefully packed it back until later that afternoon, when Kari would wear it for Davis. Then they went to tell the guys what it was, but of course the guys weren't allowed to see it. Davis got even with Kari by telling her that just after she'd gone into her room a suit had arrived for him and she couldn't see it until he saw her gown.

Then all five of them pitched in, moving most of Kari's stuff into Davis's room, everything except the things that she would need to get ready later.

* * *

Ken was debating whether or not to stick around for the wedding. He knew he'd have to be there when the Digimon's Dark Spirals were removed, but he thought maybe he should leave after that.

He'd feel like he was...

Intruding?

Yes, that was it. It wasn't any of his business.

He had already appointed an Elecmon to do the ceremony so he wouldn't have to. He had already taken care of the Digimon who would remove the Dark Spirals. He knew nothing would go wrong.

So should he go?

 _Yes. Why should I feel like I'm intruding? It's my base. My prisoners. I_ ought _to go, just to intimidate._

* * *

One hour before the time of the wedding, Ken appeared with five enslaved digimon, and the DigiDestined's digimon.

Kari started crying. The five digimon were in a trance and didn't even recognize them. They looked like they had been doing a lot of hard work.

Ken started barking orders. "I want each of you to take your digimon and hold it while the Spiral is removed. As soon as it is off, you need to explain the situation and that you don't want them to attack. If any one of them _does_ attack, the spiral will be put back on immediately."

Each of the DigiDestined ran to their Digimon and hugged it. None of them hugged back.

One of Ken's slaves went to each one and began fiddling with the Spiral.

Gatomon's was the first to come off.

"Kari! You're alive! You're all right! You've changed...how long has it been?"

"Yes, I'm fine. I'm so happy to see you! Calm down. Don't attack. Let me explain..."

Patamon was next. "T.K.! You're taller...what happened?"

"Oh, Patamon, I missed you. I need to fill you in..."

Hawkmon. "Yo--"

"Oh, Hawkmon!" Yolei hugged him tightly.

"Yo--lei! I--can't--breathe--"

"But I'm so happy to see you!"

"I--won't--be--here--much--lon--ger--if--you're--cho--king--meeeee--"

Armadillomon. "Huh? Cody! You've grown so much! What happened?"

"Armadillomon! You're all right! You remembered me! See, Armadillomon, it's like this..."

Veemon. "Huh? Davis! Did I fall asleep? What's going on? Weren't we fighting? How did you get so tall?"

"Hey, buddy, great to see you! It's been forever, man...Calm down so I can tell you..."

Ken watched with wonder. _How can anyone become so attached to a digimon? If Wormmon was gone for a long time, would I honestly miss him at all?_ Finally he shoved the thoughts aside. "I will be back in one hour to witness the ceremony." He left with no further words, leaving his enslaved Digimon to watch the freed ones.

"Ceremony?" the digimon asked in unison. Somehow in the few seconds that had passed, the DigiDestined had gotten them to understand that they were all happy as things were and they didn't want to put a up a fight.

Kari spoke up. "Gatomon...everyone...Davis and I are getting married."

Gatomon looked up into her eyes incredulously. "Kari...?"

"Gatomon, I love him, and we're going to be very happy together."

Gatomon wrinkled her nose. "Are you sure, Kari? If you're sure..."

"I am sure, Gatomon. I love Davis."

"Then I'm happy," Gatomon said.

Veemon was giving Davis five, applauding him, slapping him on the back. "Way to go, Davis!"

"When's the wedding?" Patamon asked.

"In one hour," Davis said, grinning at Kari.

"And I need to start getting ready," Kari said. "Gatomon, Yolei, come on."

The two girls and their digimon headed into Kari's room.

* * *

Kari was ready long before time, so Yolei quickly went and got herself ready (which basically meant putting on a nicer skirt and messing with her hair), and then went back to Kari's room to keep her company.

Kari was sitting at her dresser, fiddling with her veil.

"Kari, you are a beautiful bride," Yolei said, coming into her room.

It was true. The milky white dress set off her complexion perfectly. It had a full skirt, but no train (there wasn't room for a decent train in their prison). The neckline was nicely low but not revealing, and the sleeves were short and swingy. The veil came down to Kari's fingertips, and was held in place by a headband of seed pearls--the real thing.

"Thank you, Yolei," Kari said, blushing. "Do you think Davis will like it?"

Yolei smiled. "I don't think he'd care if you came out there in your bathrobe, girlfriend, but I do think he'll like it. It's not like you could pick your own, anyway." Yolei came closer, and sat down on Kari's bed.

Gatomon could not stop staring at her Digipartner. "You know, Ken has better taste than I would have thought."

Kari smiled. "Me too. You know, there's just one thing..."

"You're not having cold feet now, are you?" Hawkmon asked. "I don't think that it would be prudent at this juncture...especially since the Kaiser is relenting with no questions..."

Kari shook her head. "Never. I just wish that Tai and my parents could be here...or that they could just know..." she wiped away a tear. "And I'm sure Davis would want his family to know."

Yolei put a hand on her shoulder. "It's all right. It's all right. Kari, you know what?"

"What?"

Yolei smiled. "I think Tai will know anyway. He's been to the Digital World too, and I think it has its own way of taking care of that kind of thing."

Kari smiled, too. "Maybe so."

* * *

Ken arrived at the appointed time, along with Wormmon and the Elecmon who officiated. Kari and Davis were married by the American ceremony, and then a fancy meal was held in the dining room. Ken had even sprung for a wedding cake.

The DigiDestined all said goodbye to their Digimon, who were then escorted off to have the Spirals put back on--something the DigiDestined did not want to watch and the digimon did not want them to see.

Kari and Davis retreated to his room, and locked the door behind them.

Ken left then, not having said a single word other than to issue orders.

Yolei frowned as the lock clicked. "He is being so...I don't know...it's just weird."

"I know," Cody agreed. "And I'm not sure I like it. Something bad is on the way."

* * *

Davis and Kari embraced tightly, leaning against the bedroom door.

"Davis...we are _actually...married..._ " she whispered.

"I know! This is wonderful!" He picked her up and swung her around, and ended up falling backwards onto the bed.

She smiled, laying there on top of him. She kissed the tip of his nose. "I am so happy...it just feels like I am so happy it's wrong to be this happy, you know?"

"I know..." he kissed her passionately. "But it's not." His hand was inching its way up her back, one finger following the zipper, finally finding the top of it. "May I?" he asked suggestively, giving it a little tug downward.

"Please do..."

* * *

Cody, T.K., and Yolei sat in the living room, all three of them too wound up to go to sleep. They were trying to find something decent on TV. One of the benefits of TV in the Digital World was getting every channel (real-)worldwide for free.

"Hopefully these walls are as soundproof as we were always led to believe..." T.K. said.

"Why's that?" Yolei asked.

"Because I know those two are going to make a lot of noise at night...don't get me wrong, they deserve it, but I don't wanna be kept up at night just because _they_ want to."

Yolei and Cody both sweatdropped.

"Hopefully it won't be that bad..." Cody squeaked.

The threesome heard a muffled moan. "Daisukeee..."

They all sweatdropped.

"I don't think we could hear that from in our rooms..." Cody offered.

"Should we go?" Yolei asked.

"Nah," T.K. said. "If that's all the louder they're gonna be, we can turn up the TV high enough to drown it out."

"Okay..." Yolei said, cranking the volume.

* * *

Ken was lying in his bed awake again. He was thinking of what he had seen that day.

_Everyone seemed so happy._

They had been happy to see their Digimon. Happy on account of Davis and Kari. Just--happy. That was it. Happy. He had not been happy in a long time. Pleased, yes, amused, yes, but not happy. He had his small victories and gains, but nothing made him truly happy.

He wondered if Wormmon might be right--if loneliness was making him sick and unhappy.

And he wondered, if so, what might be the right remedy?

* * *

The next morning, Kari woke up, covered only with a comforter, in Davis's arms. She could hear his heavy breathing. For a few seconds she was afraid of what they had done, but then her brain started working and the wedding came back to her. That made all the difference.

She started kissing his cheek right at the jawline. He stirred, and woke. His eyes slowly blinked open.

There was Kari, wrapped up in nothing but his arms, smiling at him.

"Yesterday really happened," he whispered, almost not believing it.

"Yes, it did," she whispered. "And how glad I am that it did..."

He smiled, and kissed her.

They were both very much awake, but it was going to be a while before they got out of bed.

* * *

Cody, T.K., and Yolei sat in the living room, trying to act nonchalant.

"It's nine o'clock," Cody said.

"They probably picked up this morning right where they left off last night," Yolei said, trying to keep herself from knocking on the door and seeing what was going on.

T.K. smirked. "Left off? I think they're still _going_ from last night."

Yolei tried to hide her laughter. They really shouldn't be talking like that in front of Cody. Of course he knew exactly what was going on, but still--

The door to the (two) Motomiya's suite opened.

Davis stepped out, all smiles and blushing quite red. "Ohayo..." he said.

"Ohayo," the other three chorused.

"My _wife_ will be out in a few minutes..." Davis smiled.

"Your breakfast in is in the dining room, being kept warm," Yolei said, trying to make it easier on him. She knew he was embarrassed, just because. She thought she probably would be, too.

He nodded and rushed off into the other room.

Kari peeked her head out few minutes later. "Ohayo gozaimasu."

Again, the other three chorused. "Ohayo."

T.K. smiled at her. He knew his best friend was so high on happiness she was probably going to be a little ditzy for quite a while. "Your _husband_ , is in the dining room, _Mrs. Motomiya_."

Kari flushed. "You know, T.K., I like the sound of that." She went to join Davis.

"Satisfied?" Yolei asked T.K..

"Yup." He returned to his book.


	4. Chapter 4

Ken glanced at the clock. Eleven.

 _When should I go down there?_ He'd been debating it all morning.

Wormmon interrupted his thoughts. "Master?"

"What is it?"

"Master, when do you want your lunch?"

Ken thought about that. He would have to wait until after the DigiDestined had their lunch to go down there, and they took longer to eat because they could talk to each other--wait! _Perfect!_ "I will be having my lunch with the DigiDestined, Wormmon. Have an extra tray sent down there."

Wormmon blinked. He'd never dreamed that Ken would actually listen to him. "Yes, Master..." he said, almost dazed.

* * *

Noon rolled around. The DigiDestined were all about their own business when enslaved digimon brought food to the dining room. It was true that all the suites had small kitchenettes, and if they wanted to cook for themselves all they had to do was request the ingredients, but more often than not they didn't bother--although Kari planned to take it up very soon.

So the digimon slaves were business as usual.

What was weird was that Ken was with them. He stood, silently watching them wheel in the cart with all the trays on it. When they finished and left, he had yet to say a word.

The DigiDestined waited in the living room, expecting him to come out in a minute and go back to wherever he needed to be, but the digimon locked the main door.

They all exchanged glances and looked toward the dining room door.

"We'll never know unless we find out," Yolei said.

"Well, I'm not scared," Davis said, walked over to the door, and pushed it open.

At the opposite end of the table was a chair that was larger than the rest, making that the head of the table. The DigiDestined had never made a big deal over it, they simply sat at the end nearest the door and never bothered with it.

But today, Ken was sitting in that chair. There was a tray identical to the rest of their own in front of him.

"Aren't any of you going to eat?" There was actually emotion in his voice. He seemed to be questioning a probable disappointment.

Yolei looked at all her friends. "I don't know about any of you, but I am so hungry that I don't care what's going on or what kind of trap it might be. I'm eating." She picked up a tray off the cart and sat in her accustomed spot, second from the end.

The others watched.

Nothing happened, so finally they all relaxed and took their own seats. Cody next to her, T.K. at the end, then on the other side Kari, and finally, Davis.

Ken took the top off his own tray and started eating, too. There were three seats between where he was and where the rest of them were sitting, so it would have been hard for him to get in on any conversation that might have been going on--but it didn't matter. The DigiDestined were all in such a hurry to finish and leave the room that they did not talk.

Everyone was finished by 12:15. They weren't sure what to do, until finally Davis scooted back his chair and stood, and then helped Kari up. Ken did not protest as they left the room, so the other three followed suit.

Ken sat after that, picking at his food. _Well, that was a grand success._

This feeling was so different. When he had a small setback in taking over the world, he didn't feel down, he just got started on a new plan of attack. But this--this was different. He was disappointed, and upset that things hadn't gone better.

The door clicked open, and he looked up. Yolei was peeking her head into the room.

"What is it? Did you wish to spy on the Kaiser?" Ken asked in irritation.

She frowned. "I'm not spying. I just want to know what you're doing. I mean--why you're here. Why aren't you up in your own room eating gourmet stuff instead of down here with us eating mac and cheese? Not that it's bad, but it's no duck l'orange. I'm sure _you're_ not used to it."

Ken frowned. There was no satisfactory answer but the truth. It wasn't that he made lying a habit, but this particular truth was not something he was ready to admit. "Do you really care?" he asked defensively.

She nodded. "So it's a personal reason. Not something you're gonna 'fess up to."

He was starting to get upset, but--he couldn't feel true anger. Usually by this time he was on his feet and getting out his whip. _What is wrong with me? Or--or is it her?_

She sat down at the end, in T.K.'s spot. "You want to hear what I think?"

Ken looked at her over the top of his glasses. "I think you're going to tell me anyway."

His eyes surprised her. It had been so long since she'd seen them--but something she saw in them only proved the point she was about to make. She pushed the thought aside. "Of course I am, but it's still polite to warn people when you're going to be brutally honest," she said, cheerfully. "I think that _you_ are _lonely_ and crave the company of other humans."

 _Is it that obvious?_ "I do not. I simply think that I have neglected all of you for far too long and you could use a little watching."

 _Liar._ But she could not say it to his face. "And it took you six years to remember us?"

Ken decided it was time to be smug. "And Wormmon reminded me at that."

 _He makes me so mad!_ Yolei was not sure why it bothered her, why she was letting him get to her. "Well, then, you're nothing but a big fat jerk!" she cried, getting up from her chair. It toppled over and in her haste she didn't bother to pick it up. She stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind her.

Ken sat, staring at the door in agitation.

He was _hurt_.

Someone had hurt the feelings of the Digimon Kaiser, and he sat doing nothing about it.

"It was my fault," he admitted quietly.

He knew the only way to make things right was apologize.

What bothered him was that he felt the need to make things right. _Why do I care so much about Yolei's opinion? Why should it make any difference what she thinks of me? And yet, here I sit, caring very much and wondering how to go about apologizing._

A few minutes later, at one o'clock, he left as wordlessly as he had come.

* * *

Yolei was sprawled out on her bed, thinking over her encounter with the Kaiser, when she heard a knock at the door to her suite.

She got up and walked to the door. "Who is it?"

"It's me, Kari."

Yolei opened the door and let her in. "Hi. I guess you could hear me from out in the living room, huh?"

Kari nodded. "Yeah. That's what I want to talk to you about. What gave you the guts to pull something like that?"

Yolei motioned to the couch and they both went and sat down. "I wish I knew, Kari."

The two girls sat a few moments in silence.

"Kari...can I ask an offbeat question?"

"Sure."

"How do you think of Davis when the two of you argue?"

Kari blinked, and then smiled. "If it's my fault I just feel guilty until I apologize. But if it's his fault, at first I feel so angry it's almost like I could never like him again. Then I realize that maybe just because he said or did something didn't mean he meant it the way I took it. Maybe his intentions were good. Maybe he just plain didn't know any better. Maybe it's just the way he is and I have to learn to deal with it."

Now it was Yolei's turn to blink.

"Why did you want to know?" Kari asked her.

"Kari...I'm scaring myself. I don't know if I should even tell you, it's so messed-up..."

"I won't laugh," Kari promised.

"I wasn't worried about that. It's just plain wrong..."

"Why don't you just tell me?"

"Well, Kari, remember back before we were captured, when we were in the real world?"

Kari sighed. "Barely. I mean, I remember everything, but sometimes I think that it was just a dream I had once..."

"I know exactly what you mean. But do you remember the time before we figured out that Ken is the Digimon Kaiser? We would see Ken on the news, or in a magazine?"

"Yeah, I remember. You had the biggest crush on him..."

"Well, Kari, when he showed up, some of those old emotions got stirred up. I don't love him, I don't think I even have a crush on him. But I sympathize with him. Like the way he is isn't his fault. That we can't blame him for being upset."

"Oh, Yolei...this could complicate things...what did the two of you say when you went back in there?"

"He asked if I was spying, and I told him I wanted to know why he was there. Then he asked if it _mattered_ to me why he was there, and I accused him of just not wanting to admit why, and I told him what I think."

"Which is?" Kari asked, nervously.

"That he's lonely. He wants company. Anyway, he denied that and made up an excuse, and then I smarted off about him taking six years to remember us, and he smarted back about how it was Wormmon who reminded him, and you heard what I called him right before I came out."

Kari didn't accuse her of being stupid. "You know, I think you're right, Yolei. About his being lonely. Can you imagine six years without speaking to another human being?"

"No. I can't. That's what made me think of it."

Kari sighed again. "Yolei, you can't go and fall in love with him. You know what kind of consequences that could have."

Yolei hung her head. "I also know that when it happens, it happens, and there's not much you can do to change your own feelings. Hide them, deny them, maybe, but change? No way. But Kari--I was thinking--if these feelings were...returned, by him...do you think I could convince him to let us go?"

It was a staggering thought. That after all this time he might be capable of a change of heart.

"I can't tell you what to do, Yolei, other than follow your heart. I should know. I spent a year pushing Davis away for fear of hurting T.K., until finally I just asked T.K. where we stood and he was surprised that I'd even ask. He thought that I knew we were always best friends and nothing more. The only reason he didn't get along with Davis was because he thought Davis irritated me. So the next time Davis started up about wanting me to be his girl, I went along with it like I'd always wanted to, and you know the rest of it."

"So you're saying...?"

"I'm saying follow your heart because it's smarter than your head, let people know exactly where you are or they'll trip over you, and watch your own step because you can never be exactly sure where everyone else is standing. Especially when you're walking a bed of coals."

Yolei nodded.

"Do you feel better now?" Kari asked.

Yolei shook her head. "You've been a big help, Kari, but I feel worse than ever because I know exactly what's going on and I don't like it one bit."

Kari nodded and left. Yolei didn't need any more help. She had to do the rest on her own.

Yolei paced the floor of her small living room.

_I couldn't possibly love him, could I?_


	5. Chapter 5

Ken paced his bedroom floor. Yet another night he would not be asleep until late.

Why did he care about Yolei's opinion? Why had it hurt his feelings when she'd gotten mad at him? Why did it still bother him? Why couldn't he just let it go?

Wormmon sat on his bed, watching him. Ken had softened in that area, and now Wormmon slept beside him at night. It helped to alleviate the loneliness, Ken had discovered in the two nights Wormmon had been there. It helped just knowing there was someone there who would listen.

"Master?"

"Go on to sleep. I won't get this thought through for quite a while. It's too confusing."

"Are you thinking about the DigiDestined?"

"Yes. I am. Go to sleep."

"Master, did something happen?"

"Yolei and I yelled at each other. Go to sleep." Ken looked at Wormmon directly, scaring him enough to make him lay down in his new spot and close his eyes.

_Yolei and I...what a funny sound not to put myself first._

"Master?"

Ken stopped in his pacing and turned to face Wormmon. "What is it?!"

"You and Yolei?"

"Yes. After everyone else left she came back and talked to me for a few minutes, but I blew it. The minute she started asking me questions, I got defensive and jumped all over her. We both yelled and she stomped off all mad."

"And that's what's making you pace?"

Ken sat on the edge of his bed, facing his digimon. "I guess."

"So...it matters to you what Yolei thinks?"

Ken nodded. "I don't know why."

Wormmon crawled across the bed and laid his head in Ken's lap. "Maybe you... _care_...about _her_ ," he suggested.

"You mean, like, love her?"

"Yes, Master. Why couldn't it be that?"

"Why?! Because Kaisers don't fall for peasants, do you hear me?!" Ken yelled, shoving Wormmon away and lying down. He reached above his head and turned the lights low.

But, inside, he was thinking far differently. _That could be it. This is something I've never felt before and I know I've never fallen in love. I'll go back tomorrow. I'll go every day. I'll see what happens over time...oh, wait, nothing will happen unless I apologize. But I can't apologize! That would be weak. But I guess I could...play favorites..._ Quickly, he hatched a scheme that he hoped would fix things.

* * *

The next day at noon, the trays were not carted in, but carried in by digimon and set in specific places. There was a name card at each spot.

"Too weird," Davis said.

T.K., Cody, Kari, and Davis were each at their respective spots, but Yolei was down at the opposite end, next to where Ken had sat the day before.

Everyone sat except Yolei, who went to go get her tray and was going to bring it down to sit in her usual place.

But, just then, the door opened and Ken walked in. He gave her a harsh look and she set the tray back down, and sat in the chair behind it.

He sat where he had the previous day. Yolei noticed that he had a tray in front of him, too.

"Well, aren't you going to eat?" he asked her.

She said nothing, but frowned and lifted the lid off her tray.

Beside the plate laid a single, long-stemmed, red rose.

Her eyes widened in shock, and then she looked up at Ken. "Did you...?"

But he was already eating his own lunch and didn't even look up.

She turned her attention away from him and ate. She noticed that it was her favorite dessert, too, but kept quiet.

Everyone else ate and rushed out, but both Ken and Yolei lingered over their food.

Finally, she asked him again. "Did you put the rose there?"

He didn't look up. But he nodded ever so slightly.

"Why?"

His head jerked up, but not far. She was looking directly into his eyes--over his glasses--when he spoke. She could see the emotion he refused to mention aloud. She wasn't sure exactly what it was, but it was a positive feeling. Definitely there and definitely directed at her.

"Because--yesterday--" he faltered.

 _How sweet..._ she thought, then mentally slapped herself. "Is this your idea of an apology?" she asked curtly.

He hung his head, and then sat his elbows on the table and, placing his chin on his hands, stared at her. "I think I did pretty good."

She smiled evilly, gleeful with the insult she had to throw in his face. "For your first attempt ever, yes, you actually did pretty good."

He let his hands drop to the table, making a thud. "Do you always have to do that?!"

She blinked, and shrank down in her seat. "Do what?" she asked, meekly.

"Mouth off. Get an argument started. I don't want to have to walk away angry every time I talk to you! In fact I--" He stopped. He blinked. "Truth is, Yolei, I want us to get along."

She looked down at the rose in her hand. _Does he mean it as a token of love?_ Then she thought of why it could never be. "Well," she said, calmly, standing up, "Tell you what. You let us go, destroy every Dark Spiral and Control Spire ever made, and any files about them, have your memory of being the Digimon Kaiser erased, and then come back and we can talk about it." Then, calmly, she strode off to her room and locked herself in.

She kept the rose.

* * *

Back in the dining room, Ken sat alone--again--wondering what went wrong.

 _What's wrong is she's right. It could never work._ He sighed. For once, something felt right, but now there was finally something worth not giving up--control of the Digital World.

The thought lingered. _It feels right. The thought of Yolei and me really does feel right. But I don't think she would ever agree. She's too loyal to her friends._ Ken smiled to himself. _I make it sound like loyalty is a bad thing. Oh well. It doesn't matter what I think, things will never work._

* * *

Yolei was really confused now.

 _Why do I act like he's just another guy? He's not just any guy, he's the cruelest guy who ever lived!_ She paced around her room. _I wish Hawkmon was here. He made so much sense. He'd know what to do. He always understood me._

She flopped down on her bed, making it creak. She laid quietly.

At one o'clock she heard Ken leave. _So that's his plan. He'll be here from noon to one every day. Man, I don't wanna be around him._ She blinked. _Why? Why does his presence bother me? He's not being cruel, in fact, it takes away time from his cruelty. I should be glad he comes._ She knew why, but she was reluctant to admit it, even to herself.

_I'm afraid that he's capable of winning my love, and I can't afford to give him half a chance._

She looked over at the rose. She'd put it in a bud vase full of water and set it on her nightstand. It meant something, although what he intended it as and what she should take it to mean, she had no clue.

* * *

Ken kept coming for lunch every day for several weeks. If there was nothing else good about his personality, he didn't give up easily.

Yolei kept her distance, never directly speaking to him if she could help it. Finally, he confronted her.

She was the last one to finish eating that day, and as she started to leave the room to go be with T.K. and Cody (Kari had started cooking for herself and Davis in their suite), he spoke.

"What's the rush?"

She paused, retracting her hand from the door. "I...I..."

"Are you scared of me?"

She whirled to face him, turning red all over her cheeks. "I'm not scared of you or anything you'd do to me," she scowled.

"You want to hear what I think?" Ken grinned a little, using her own line.

"I think--you're going to tell me--anyway," she stammered, not sure if she really wanted to know.

"Of course I am, but it's still polite to warn people when you're going to be brutally honest," he said, continuing the quote of their previous conversation. "I think that you are not afraid of me, or anything I could do, but you're afraid you'll get to liking me."

She just stared at him. She had only told Kari, and Kari hadn't said a word to anyone, not even her husband.

"I see that I'm getting warmer. Maybe too warm. Yolei, I don't think you understand that I am not always like this. When there is not business to be taken care of, I get lonely. I am--at times--only human."

"But your business is cruel!" Yolei cried. "If you were just Ken, that'd be great, but you're the Digimon Kaiser."

Ken jerked his gaze away from her like he'd been slapped. He stared at the floor as he talked. "I could be good to you, Yolei. I would never discuss the happenings of my day. You'd have digimon servants waiting on you hand and foot. I rule all there is, and you could be right there beside me."

"But I could never live with myself. Ken, before this Kaiser stuff, before you knew there was a DigiWorld, I'm sure you were probably a great guy. But it's all...tainted you. You're not the same person."

"You need never see the Kaiser side of me."

"Kaiser _side_?"

"It's almost like I'm two different people at times, Yolei. Ask Wormmon." Ken checked the time. One o'clock. He got up and left in a rush.

Yolei sat in a chair and laid her head on the table, beginning to cry. _Why does his offer have to sound so good? Why do I feel this way? Why do I have to fall for him? Why did he ever have to find the Digital World?_

Kari softly pushed the door open. "Another spat, Yolei?"

Yolei looked up, taking off her glasses to wipe off the tears and then replacing them. Wet, salty trails remained on her cheeks. "Kari, he wants to be involved in a relationship. Not just friends."

Kari's eyes widened as she sat down beside her friend. "Yolei..."

"What bothers me is that it sounds like a good idea. He says he's completely different at times. I just don't know." She started crying again, and for a moment buried her face in her hands. Then, suddenly, she looked up. "He said to ask Wormmon."

Kari frowned. "Wormmon is with Ken twenty-three hours a day, so if anyone would know, he would."

Yolei nodded. "Maybe I will."

* * *

When dinner was brought, Yolei gave a slip of paper to the enslaved digimon and had it sent to the Kaiser.

Kari, sitting on the couch, sent her a knowing look.

Yolei gave back a cockeyed grin. "Never let it be said that Inoue Yolei gave up without knowing all the facts."

* * *

Ken was amazed to get a message from Yolei.

"Kaiser: Remember what you said earlier today? 'Ask Wormmon.' I think I'd like to. If you could have him come down to my suite this evening I'd appreciate it. --Yolei."

 _Well, I did tell her to. Could this possibly mean she's changing her mind about me?_ Ken shook his head with the realization. "Wormmon!"

"Yes, Master?"

"Yolei wants to talk to you. Go down there and answer her questions however you feel appropriate. Take as long as she needs."

Wormmon blinked, shocked. "It might make me late for bed. You won't get lonely?"

"Of course not! Kaisers can survive a little alone time! Now go!"

"Yes, Master."

* * *

Yolei skipped dinner to wait in her room. Her task had robbed her of her appetite, anyway.

She glanced at the now-withering rose.

 _Guess it's about time it bit the dust._ She took it out of the water, and was about to put it into the trash, but thought better of it. She laid it across her nightstand and left it, and then went into her bathroom and poured out the unused water, and put the vase away.

She went back to her bedroom and laid down on her bed to think.

_Why am I doing this? It's making me so nervous that I skipped a meal. You know when I start missing dinners that I'm not feeling so hot. Why do I care? Why am I even considering this? Is it because I want the chance to get us all out of here, or am I honestly falling for him?_

Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the main door opening, then a knock on the door of her suite.

She answered it, at first not knowing where to look, then looking down and seeing Wormmon. "Come in, please."

"You want us to be alone? You're not afraid that I could attack you?"

Yolei blinked. "No, I'm not." After he came in and she closed the door, she told him, "I didn't want to embarrass you with the rest of the DigiDestined there where they could hear me, but the way Ken talks about you, I didn't even know you had an attack."

"I do," he said, "but I've never had the chance to use it. He thinks that even if I digivolved, I would be useless as a fighter."

Yolei knew she shouldn't care, but she was curious. "Would you be?"

"Not at all!" he said, forcefully. "I could help him out a lot!"

"Geez, yell at the girl for being curious. Anyway, I didn't want to talk to you about that."

Wormmon watched her steadily. She noticed that he had a far more commanding presence when Ken wasn't around to make him cower. Finally he spoke. "Well, what _did_ you want to talk about?"

"Well, Wormmon, when Ken was here, earlier today, he told me that he wasn't always like the Kaiser, and to ask you, because you would know. So...tell me."

Wormmon glanced away. "Now even he acknowledges it. There might be a chance for him yet..." he muttered, so that she barely heard. Then he turned back to her. "Yes. It's true. At the end of the day, he looks and acts almost like the old Ken."

Yolei frowned. " _Old_ Ken? _What_ old Ken?"

"You know, the not-Digimon-Kaiser Ken. You remember what the old Ken looked like?"

Yolei nodded. She remembered, all right. Sometimes she could not make that image go away. The tall, handsome fifteen-year-old. Straight dark hair, indigo blue eyes that pierced to the heart of the matter.

"Well, at nights, he looks kind of like that, only older, and he acts a little like he used to, too."

"He's _always_ been mean," Yolei interjected.

"No, he hasn't! I knew him before, and he was nice! Kind!"

Yolei laughed. "Are you insane? He was never nice. And certainly never kind."

"You honestly think he was born mean, don't you? That he's always been an evil genius?"

"Yes, I do!"

"Well, he wasn't always evil, and he wasn't always genius! It wasn't until Sam died that he started all this!"

Yolei paused. "Who in the DigiWorld was Sam?"

"Ken's older brother. He died in an accident several years ago. Ken was trying to be just like him, and he was vulnerable. He was susceptible to go under to the powers of darkness. And then when he found out about the Digital World..."

Yolei was quiet. She didn't know this. None of the DigiDestined knew this. She looked up at Wormmon. "I'm sorry...for insulting your memory of the nice Ken. It's hard to believe that he was, once."

"Even I have trouble remembering, sometimes," Wormmon said. "But I never let go of the memory. It's all I have." He almost started to cry, but managed to contain himself.

Yolei, being impulsive, hugged him--gently. "I understand."

He pulled back. "Is that all?"

Yolei thought for a moment. "Just one more question. Do you think he could ever go back? I mean, to being nice?"

Wormmon looked up at her with tear-filled eyes. "I don't know. I've done everything I can think of over the past six years. I'm out of ideas."

She nodded, and let him out of the suite. He left the prison.

Yolei locked the door and ignored Kari's knocks until Kari started asking if she was alive or if Wormmon had hurt her.

"I'm fine, Kari. Physically."

"Want to talk about it?" Kari asked through the door.

"No," Yolei told her, flatly.

"I'll be in the dining room reading if you need me."

It wasn't even ten minutes later that Yolei came into the dining room. "You're not with Davis?"

Kari rolled her eyes. "He's with the other two guys. Something about a video game tournament of a game I can't play for the life of me."

"I guess they never grow up, huh?"

"Well, Yolei, the way I figure it is even if we _are_ married, we're still both nineteen. We're both still going to _be_ nineteen. It shouldn't make us suddenly grow up."

"I guess not." Yolei sat down and kept quiet.

"You want to talk about it, don't you?" Kari asked.

Yolei nodded. "Kari, Wormmon said that Ken was nice once."

"I suspected as much."

"Well, I guess I did too, but it just never dawned on me that he was _really_ nice. I figured he was always spoiled rotten and used to getting his own way." Yolei paused. "Wormmon said Ken had an older brother who died."

Kari glanced up. "That explains a lot."

"How so?"

"Well, I know that if anything happened to Tai, everything would change. I don't think I'd go over to the bad guys, but I know I'd try a lot harder to keep my parents happy, do better in school, that kind of thing."

Yolei nodded and let it sink in. She had several siblings. She had been the youngest of four. Maybe that was what made it different in her case. She didn't have _just_ one.

"Do you think he could ever revert to his old self--permanently? Wormmon says he sort of does, at night."

Kari nodded. "I think anything is possible in the Digital World if you go about it the right way."

Yolei sighed. "I don't think falling in love with him classifies the right way."

Kari tilted her head. "That depends. You've told him that a relationship wouldn't work unless he changed, right?"

Yolei nodded. "So you're saying that maybe if I did let myself fall for him--"

"We both know it's not a matter of letting ourselves, it's a matter of whether we can lie to ourselves or not," Kari reminded her. "Remember what we talked about before."

"Yeah, I know. But if I did fall for him, and he realized that, and he saw that I was upset that we couldn't be together, then maybe he would change."

"Maybe. I told you what I think, Yolei. But I don't want you to put yourself in danger for us."

"I just don't know what to do, Kari."

Kari sighed. "These things have a way of working themselves out, Yolei. Like I've said before, follow your heart."


	6. Chapter 6

The next day at lunch, the DigiDestined were as silent as usual in Ken's presence. Yolei only picked at her food. After the others left, she took her tray and sat next to him.

"What do you think you're doing?" he asked, as if she was invading his space.

"You looked lonely. There's no one else for me to talk to."

"Talk?" Ken choked. "Since when do _you_ want to talk to _me_?"

She shrugged. "Well, okay, if you'd rather I left--"

"No, no, it's all right. In fact, I order you to sit right there."

She smiled. "Fine."

There was a pause.

Ken tilted her head at her. "What did you want to talk about?"

"I dunknow. You pick."

"Well, there's so little to talk about that would interest you..."

"What do you _think_?"

Ken frowned. "Huh?"

"What do you _think_? How do you _feel_ about things? Tell me about _you_."

"Well, that's a new one. No one ever asked me about me. At least, not what I liked or what I thought. They asked plenty of questions about being a genius, though."

"Well, I don't want to know about that. I want to know about _you_."

The thought was completely new and different for Ken. _She cares about_ me. He had to go along with this. He was too curious and too encouraged to pass it up. "What do you want to know about me?"

Yolei sighed. "Try anything pre-DigiWorld in your life."

Ken nodded. He took off his glasses and laid them on the table in front of him.

It unnerved Yolei. Those eyes of his. When he looked at her, she could feel him probing into her, trying to read the emotions that flickered in her eyes, and yet she could not tear herself away from his gaze.

"I was just an average kid. Things went wrong in my life, and I started studying hard. I found out about the Digital World, and--oh." He stopped mid-sentence at her frown. "I guess the story would be more interesting if there was more detail."

"Yes." She nodded. "Wormmon mentioned that you had...an older brother."

Ken sat back in his chair. Wormmon had spilled. _I_ did _tell him to be honest._ It had been a long time since he allowed himself to dwell on the memories. "Osamu..." he said, quietly.

"Is that his name?"

"Osamu. My brother. We called him Sam."

Yolei nodded. "That's what Wormmon called him. Go on. What was he like?"

Ken sighed. "He was older than me. Four years older than me. And he was a genius for real. He didn't have to work at it like I did. My parents favored him because he was so smart and everyone paid attention to him. Sometimes the two of us got along great, but whenever he was the center of attention, I hated him. I wished he would just disappear." He stopped again. He expected Yolei to be staring daggers at him.

She was looking at him sympathetically. "I have--had, I don't know what's happened since we came here--three siblings. I know exactly how you must have felt."

Ken nodded. That made sense. "A digivice came out of his computer. He thought it was his but it was mine. He put it in a drawer, but as soon as he left the room, I got it out and touched it. I traveled to the DigiWorld, but I was only there for a little while. I came back and no time had passed. Sam caught me messing with 'his' gadget and yelled at me. He hit it out of my hand and said he couldn't trust me. From that time on, I always hated him." Ken stopped again. It was good for effect, and he wanted to say this right. He couldn't make himself appear weak. "And then, the accident happened. He fell off our balcony. Fell three stories onto the sidewalk."

Yolei gasped. "Oh, Ken...I'm so sorry."

Ken sneered. "Not as sorry as I was. I wasn't even in the room with the balcony when it happened, but I heard my mother scream and I knew something had happened to him. The ambulance came and took him away. It's kind of a blur--I was young. All I know is that after they closed the doors of that ambulance, I never saw him again. Just his photo on top of his coffin."

"Oh, Ken..." she sniffled. "I really am sorry..."

"You pity me. I don't want your pity." He stood, but she reached out and grabbed his arm. "What is it?" he asked.

"Please, sit. Don't go just yet. We've finally both decided that we want to get along. So now we ought to try it. Neither of us should go off on a tangent and walk out the minute the other crosses a line."

He considered that. _She's right..._ something inside whispered. _Why not listen to her this time? It would be the strong thing to do, to settle differences instead of running from them._ He sat. "Okay. But I don't want your pity."

"I don't pity you. I'm sorry that bad things had to happen and hurt you. I'm sorry just like I would be for Kari, or Cody, or T.K. or even Davis."

"You consider me that close?"

Yolei turned away, blushing furiously. _I do...but he can't know that now..._ She had been more comfortable discussing things past than things present.

"I think this getting along stuff would be easier if we were both honest," Ken said.

She turned toward him and blinked.

He continued. "But neither one of us wants to admit anything."

"We can go on talking about the past. It was happier, for me at least."

Ken pondered. "All right, the past it is, until we gain courage to be brutally honest all the time. And at times, it was happier for me, too. I think. Anyway. Sam was gone. My parents were upset and paid _less_ attention to me than ever. Until I started trying to be like Sam. I became a boy genius and suddenly I was their world."

"But the Digital World--?"

"Oh, that. I came here and realized that the Digivice _was_ mine and not Sam's. For once something was truly mine. And those feelings evolved into the Empire I have now."

Yolei shook her head. "The Digivice, Digimon, and the state of being chosen to protect the Digital World weren't enough?"

"No."

"Wait--when was this?"

"Around the time the first group came to the DigiWorld. Kamiya and the others. Even then I was planning. It took me several more years of work to get things right."

"So you're saying that you could have joined the DigiDestined back then? Helped them at those various times they had to come and fix things after Apocalymon?"

"I could have. But why _would_ I have?"

"Just curious."

He looked at her pointedly. "If I _had_ joined them, I would have never become Kaiser."

"You talk like that's a bad thing."

Ken rolled his eyes. "Don't you see? If I had not become Kaiser, you, Cody, and Davis would be living your normal lives."

"Do you think I don't miss it?"

Ken sighed. He raked his fingers through his hair, and looked back up at her. "Not _that_ normal life. You never would have gotten Digivices! No Digimon! No DigiDestined! You would be like you were before you knew you were DigiDestined! You would be a normal person."

It dawned on Yolei. She had never thought of that. To have no Kaiser meant to have never met Hawkmon--

They had only been together from the start of the school year until mid-November, but they had grown so close. They were best friends.

She hated this imprisonment, but to have never met Hawkmon! To have been normal! She abhorred the thought. And she decided to tell Ken. In a roundabout way that might get to him. "You know, you shouldn't kick Wormmon around like you do. If I could start over and choose to either be normal and never know of the Digital World, or to have spent those few weeks with Hawkmon, I'd choose battling you by his side all over again."

Ken blinked. "Really? Your friendship with Hawkmon was that deep?"

" _Is_ that deep. We were separated for six years and we hit it off immediately at Kari's wedding."

Ken pondered. "You really miss him."

"Yeah." She sighed. What else could she say? That was all there was to it.

Ken reached for his glasses. "I have to go, Yolei. I'm not upset, but I don't have all day to waste."

"It's one o'clock?" she asked.

"Past that. I have matters that need to be attended to."

She nodded as he stood. Before he got past, she reached out and caught his hand.

He bristled and blushed and reveled in it all at once. "What is it?"

"You _will_ be back tomorrow, won't you?"

"You wouldn't like it if I missed a day? Would it matter to you?"

"...yes..." Yolei blushed and let go of his hand. "Yes, it would."

"Then I will never miss a day. Ever."

He walked out without another word, and she heard the outer door click.

Yolei knew she couldn't let it go on, but at the same time she knew she couldn't stop it.

She started crying.

Crying for him. Crying because he had been so hurt--emotionally, not physically. Crying because it had left him vulnerable to the corruption that had made him the Kaiser. Crying because everything was so wrong!

Why couldn't Ken have joined Tai and the others? Or why couldn't something else have threatened the Digital World six years ago, and Ken become a DigiDestined at the same time as she, Cody and Davis? Why had Sam died? None of it would have happened if Sam's death had not been so untimely.

_Great. Now I'm mad at a guy I never met. Don't know what he looks like. Don't know a thing about him except his name and his relation to Ken._

She continued to cry.

Finally Kari came in. "Yolei?"

Yolei set her glasses on the table and wiped her eyes the best she could. She knew they were still red and puffy, and that her glasses were wet. There was no hiding it. "Come on in, Kari."

"I can only give you so much advice."

"I don't want advice anymore. I just want a listening ear."

"That," Kari said, "I can do."

Yolei sniffled, wiped her glasses, and put them back on.

Kari watched her in silence for a few minutes. _As usual, I have to get her started._ "I was kind of wondering why Ken was smiling when he left."

Yolei blushed. "We managed not to argue. He told me what happened to his brother. We talked. We had what could be classified as a meaningful conversation."

Kari nodded.

Yolei hung her head. "I don't know what you'll think of me for telling me this, but I'm going to be honest with you."

"Spill," Kari said. "I want to hear."

Yolei smiled, and then grimaced. She was sure that after she did spill, Kari would say she'd rather not have known. "Well, he left at one like always. But he was kind of reluctant. I asked if he'd be back tomorrow, and I told him--directly told him, Kari, not insinuated--that it would bother me if he missed a day."

Kari blinked. "Yolei, you're not kidding. I know it would. You are _falling_ for him."

Yolei hung her head.

"That's not necessarily bad. I just think you're treading coals and you had better watch your step so you don't fall on your face."

Yolei nodded. "You're not upset?" she ventured.

"It's hard to stop a heart. I can't get mad at you for the way you are, the fact that you fall in love. There's no point fighting it."

Yolei nodded, smiling gratefully. "But will you still say that if the relationship ends up becoming serious?"

"Why would that make a difference?" Kari retorted.

"Thank you." Yolei smiled at her friend. "I want to think, so I'll be in my room if anyone needs me."

* * *

Ken sat, trying to concentrate.

He was thinking of Yolei instead of keeping his mind on what he was doing--or rather, trying to do.

_Is it possible that she cares about me? She was asking me about me. Nobody ever did that before. And she seemed genuinely interested in the answers. I guess it's possible. But then, the other side of the coin is this: do I care about her?_

Ken settled deeper into his chair. He knew the answer was yes. He did care about her.

_You're going soft. You shouldn't care about her at all._

But he did. He couldn't help himself. Her opinions of him mattered to her. He cared about how she felt. He cared about how she was, physically. He cared what happened to her.

He knew she was his prisoner, but he wanted her to be as happy as possible.

And suddenly, he wanted _her_ to know all of that.

_What could I possibly do for her that would convince her of this? What could I do as an expression of these feelings?_

Their conversation, ended so abruptly, came back to him. _"You know, you shouldn't kick Wormmon around like you do. If I could start over and choose to either be normal and never know of the Digital World, or to have spent those few weeks with Hawkmon, I'd choose battling you by his side all over again." "Really? Your friendship with Hawkmon was that deep?" "_ Is _that deep. We were separated for six years and we hit it off immediately at Kari's wedding."_ He sighed. _She misses Hawkmon. She would love nothing more than to have him with her. But I can't do that, he'd have to wear a Dark Spiral, and that would do her no good, and if I took it off they'd surely escape. There's no way to compromise...or is there?_

Sometimes, Ken even amazed himself.

* * *

Yolei stared at the ceiling, laying across her bed. She'd told Kari she wanted to think, but in truth, she wanted the exact opposite. She wanted a break from all these heavy choices and realizations. These things were shattering the world as she had known it, and all she wanted was to have a bit of time where she didn't have to worry about it, but she could not think of anything else. It was constantly on her mind.

_Okay. The facts are this. I'm falling for Ken. He's falling for me. I technically should not fall for him. By all rights, I am his prisoner, even if this is the cushiest prison ever built. But, if I do let him love me, and I love him back, there's a chance that he can be gotten to go back to his old ways. To being kind. To give up the empire._

She sighed. Glancing at her nightstand, she saw the rose he had given her. Now colored black in its dryness, it was stiff and brittle. Its texture made Yolei think of potpourri. _Did he mean that as a way of showing that he loves me?_

Such girlish thoughts. She felt almost like she had never left the "real" world, like she was still fifteen. Fifteen had been a good year for her--it had brought her Hawkmon. She'd had her few weeks of pure bliss. She hadn't realized it until after they were over, until she had been brought to this prison, but those had been the happiest days of her life. At times she strained to remember what it was like before Hawkmon. Before Ken had started this whole mess, she and Cody had been discussing his eighth birthday party. Someone had started a food fight. Cody had paused, and asked, "Where was Armadillomon? Surely he would have been right in the heat of the...'battle'..." They had both paused to think about that before they remembered that they had yet to meet their digimon back then.

_Hawkmon...come back...I miss you..._

* * *

Ken was up late into the night again, but he wasn't laying in bed. He was working on his latest project.

"Master," Wormmon dared.

"What is it?" Ken asked, stress in his voice, hand going for his whip.

"It's very late...I think maybe you should come to bed."

Ken paused. It wasn't "You should come to bed." It had been prefaced by "maybe", thereby making it no more than Wormmon's opinion. He brought his hand up, away from his whip, and typed in a code on his main computer.

"Go ahead and lay down on my bed and go to sleep. I'll be there as soon as I finish here for the night." Ken watched out of the corner of his eye as Wormmon crawled out of the room. "By the way," he called over his shoulder. "It might be a few hours. And you'll have some work awaiting you in the morning."


	7. Chapter 7

At breakfast, Yolei was not herself. She was silent, and didn't look either T.K. or Cody in the eye when she did speak. It was hard, though--since Davis and Kari no longer sat with them, T.K. still sat at the end, but now Cody and Yolei sat across from one another.

Cody noticed that something was going on, and he wanted to know what. He wanted to help if he could. "Yolei, what's bothering you?"

She looked up in shock. "What?"

"There's something wrong," Cody insisted.

T.K. watched the two, keeping his thoughts to himself. He'd noticed that Yolei had been a little off ever since Ken had made his debut, but he'd never imagined that things could affect her this deeply. He knew she and Kari had been having a lot of heart-to-hearts. He was just as worried about her as Cody, but Cody had known her a lot longer than he had, and he figured Cody could probably handle it better.

Yolei nodded. "Yes, there is something...off...but not wrong...or maybe it is wrong...but I really don't know...I don't wanna talk about it." She went back to picking at her food.

Cody sighed. "It has something to do with Ken, doesn't it?" He had always been perceptive, and six years of prison had not changed that in him.

He stared at Yolei with his deep green eyes until finally, she had to look back up at him. Of course that made her see his confusion and the questions in his eyes, and she could not look away without giving him a satisfactory answer.

She took a deep breath. "You're going to hate me, and you'll never understand why this is happening to me." She had known that sooner or later, she was going to have to tell the three guys (or at least two of them, and have Kari tell Davis).

"I could never hate you, Yolei. We've been friends for too long." Cody grinned impishly. It was true. They had been friends ever since he'd been born. Yolei's parents had given his parents a casserole--compliments of the convenience store--on the occasion of his birth. All of Yolei's siblings had been in school at the time, but Yolei was five years old, and her mother had brought her to see the new baby. For some reason, she grew attached to him, and as he'd gotten older, they'd become friends.

"I don't know about that, Cody."

"The only thing that could make me hate you is if you were to keep whatever is going on a secret."

Yolei sighed. "You're going to regret this."

"Maybe not. Tell me."

"Fine. If you're gonna be stubborn, I'll tell you. I'm falling in love."

T.K. and Cody glanced at each other.

"That's not terrible, or bad, or anything to be ashamed of," T.K. said, "But there are only three of us and one happens to be happily married--oh, you have _got_ to be kidding me..."

If looks could kill, T.K. would've been in cardiac arrest. Yolei stood up, bracing herself on the table, and started yelling. "Are you insinuating that I'm falling in love with Davis? You pervert!"

T.K. stood in defiance. It actually intimidated her, now that he was finally the taller one. "Well, then, it's either me or Cody! I don't think it's me, and unless there's something between you two that I don't know about--"

"No!" Cody said, leaping to his feet. "Best friends don't fall in love with each other!" Then he jerked his head towards Yolei. "Do they?" he asked, almost scared.

"No! At least, not me and you! Cody, you need to spend a little less time around Davis. Maybe both of you do. Perverts." She sat back down and sighed.

The other two took their own seats. T.K. sighed and slumped backwards. "Well, Yolei, there's only one other person..."

_He finally got it!_

"And I know you're going to probably going to call me a pervert again, but I thought that Davis and Kari were pretty happy together--"

"I told you it's not Davis!"

"I didn't mean _Davis_."

"Huh?" She looked at him in confusion until it dawned on her. "You big fat _hentai_! That's just _sick_! She's my best friend!" she yelled, standing up so fast she tipped her chair over.

Cody rolled his eyes at T.K.. "I _think_ ," he said, slowly and carefully, trying to stop the arguing, "That Yolei means that she's falling in love with... _him_."

She sat back down.

"Him _who_?" T.K. asked.

Yolei and Cody both sweatdropped. Cody's drop disappeared a few seconds before Yolei's and he explained. "The Digimon Kaiser _him_ , that's who. Am I right, Yolei?"

Yolei nodded, eyes on her plate.

T.K. sighed. "This is going to make things difficult on everyone."

"What's going to happen?" Cody asked, reaching across the table and putting a hand on Yolei's.

"I wish I knew," she whispered. "I thought maybe that if I let him go on--he's falling for me, too, I think--I could convince him to let us go."

Cody frowned. "Do you really think that you love him, or are you just doing this so we can get away?"

"I care about him," she admitted. Cody had a point, though. The way she was going about this made it seem like she didn't love him, that she was just using him as a means of escape. _But I do love him._

Love. She hadn't let herself use the word in connection with him before. Care, like, fall for, sympathize with, but never love. But suddenly she knew it was true.

It was going to be hard. It would be different. She had fallen in love--or thought she had--as a teenager, but she wouldn't be able to do with Ken the kind of things she had done with other boyfriends. No pictures of him in her room, no dates, no writing Mrs. Ken Ichijouji on the inside of a notebook cover.

She was not embarrassed or ashamed of her feelings, but she could not display them in the same way. She also knew he would not treat her the same way her other boyfriends had.

The situation was going to make loving him very hard, but she was willing to try.

Cody sized up her words, and the feelings behind them. Was there a right answer? "Well, Yolei," he said, choosing his words with caution. A fight with Yolei could be disastrous. She was going to need support, and Kari alone could not give her enough. "You know I can't like him. You know that I don't know what you see in him. But if you're happy, I'm not going to try to get in the way. I'll be here for you, just like always. And if you should happen to set us free, it'll be a side benefit of seeing you happy."

Yolei's eyes were burning. "Thank you, Cody." She quickly left the room before the first tear had a chance to fall.

T.K. and Cody sat in silence for several minutes.

"You know, Cody, you said that really well. In another lifetime, you would have made a good lawyer."

Cody glanced up. "You really think so?"

"Yeah, why?"

"In another lifetime, I was hoping to become a lawyer."

"Oh," T.K. said, quickly. He knew that he'd said something that had struck a chord in his friend and embarrassed him. He kept quiet before going on to another subject to take Cody's mind off what might have been.

* * *

Ken had gone to bed late, gotten up early, and was back working on his latest project.

_This is harder than I had thought it would be...it's taking longer. But it'll be worth it._

Finally, after several more hours, he called for Wormmon.

"Yes, Master?"

"Bring me Hawkmon."

"Hawkmon?"

"Yes, Hawkmon, as in Yolei's Digimon."

"Now?"

"Would I have asked you to get him _now_ if I didn't want you to bring him _now_?"

"I'll get him, I'll get him!" Wormmon scampered out of the room and ran to find Hawkmon--who was supposed to be cleaning the kitchen. He went into the kitchen, walked past an enslaved Digitamamon and found Hawkmon scrubbing the floor with several Vegiemon.

"Come with me."

Hawkmon, with the Dark Spiral wrapped around his leg, had no choice but to follow orders. He followed Wormmon to the Control Room.

"Ah, Hawkmon. Such a pleasure to see you again." Ken smiled. If this worked, Yolei would know he truly cared. "Come here and sit on this table."

Hawkmon did as bidden, sitting on the table as indicated. There were two enslaved Pagumon, one on either side of him. Wormmon watched in silence, full of curiosity.

Ken came and stood before him, and...what was this? He started to remove Hawkmon's Spiral.

"Master..." Wormmon said, cautiously. "Might I ask--"

"No." Ken continued to toy with the Spiral until finally it came off. Quickly he took hold of Hawkmon's wings to hold him down, and the Pagumon came to his side to help in the effort.

Suddenly Hawkmon, who had been sitting rigid as a fencepost, came to life. "Where am I? It's the Digimon Kaiser!" He struggled against the three, but they had the upper hand that time. "What do you want with me?"

"Sit still. I'm not going to hurt you," Ken said, coldly. "As a matter of fact, you'll thank me when I'm finished."

The look in Hawkmon's eyes said "Not likely," but he sat. "What do you plan on doing?"

"I'm upgrading your Dark Spiral. I have a special model I'd like to test on you."

Hawkmon frowned, but bit his tongue.

Ken started placing the special Spiral on his leg.

"There. Done. What do you think?" He stood back and grinned maliciously.

Wormmon frowned. The Pagumon let go.

"Does it take a few minutes to kick in?" Hawkmon asked. "I should be going under by now, but I feel normal."

"Try your attack," Ken ordered.

"Master..."

"Shut up, Wormmon. I'm giving him an order. Try your attack."

Hawkmon blinked, but reached up for the feather on the back of his head, anyway. "Hawk Beeeaaaaah!"

He fell to the floor, curled up in pain.

"Good. It works." Ken smiled. _Yolei's gonna love this!_ "Pagumon, fetch Yolei. Bring her here. If she asks questions, tell her I have a gift for her." There was no taunt in his voice. The "gift" was not a "trap."

Hawkmon noticed that, even though a few places ached--places that he didn't even know he had. "What is this gift, if I may ask?" he asked, straining. He got himself out of the fetal position and laid flat on the floor. The pain was disappearing.

The two Pagumon had disappeared, going after his Digipartner.

Ken shook his head. "I honestly don't know what she sees in you, Hawkmon. My gift to her is you."

"Me?"

"Have you noticed your attack doesn't work?"

Hawkmon replaced his feather. A sarcastic frown crossed his brow. "It's been called to my attention..."

"Well, you can't digivolve, either. Not that it matters, since I have all the digivices. Other than that, it's like you don't have a Dark Spiral at all."

Hawkmon blinked. Yes. He could recall all his memories. He could move on his own without being ordered. He could think of insults toward Ken, although at that point he didn't use them. "Yes...so are you saying..."

"I'm doing this for Yolei, not you. You're going to stay with her now."

Hawkmon blinked again.

Wormmon blinked. "Master--"

"Stuff it, Wormmon, I don't want to hear it now." Ken knew Wormmon was going to say something about this unusual softness, and then, he really _didn't_ want to hear it.

* * *

T.K. was the one in the living room when the Pagumon arrived.

"We are here for Yolei," one of them said.

 _What? No rhyme?_ he thought, remembering his first encounter with them, back when he and the older kids had first traveled to the DigiWorld. "She's in her suite...I'll get her." He got up and tapped on her door. "Yolei? You've got company."

Yolei jerked her head up at T.K.'s voice. "Coming!" She wondered who it might be. Maybe Wormmon again, or Ken himself... _Is it possible? It's two hours until noon!_

She came out, and was surprised to see the two Pagumon in the doorway. "You two?" she frowned, wrinkling her nose. She pushed her glasses back into place.

"You are to come with us," one of them said.

"The Digimon Kaiser wants to see you," the other one supplied.

Yolei blushed. T.K. said nothing, gave away nothing in his expression.

"Did he say why?"

"He has a gift for you."

T.K. cocked an eyebrow at that.

"Will I be coming back?"

"The Kaiser said nothing in regards to that."

She grimaced. "Well, all right..." Yolei took a step towards them. Then another, and another, ever so slowly. One stood on each side of her, and she went in step with them out the main door. It clicked shut.

She noticed how much less menacing of a sound it was from the outside.

* * *

T.K. let his book fall to the floor and ran to the Motomiya's door. "Davis! Kari! Cody!" He banged his fists against the door. He ran over to Cody's door and banged on it, too.

The three ran out. Davis was shirtless, Kari was blushing. They'd been busy. Cody was just confused. "What's the matter?"

"Two Pagumon--just came and--took Yolei!" T.K. said in a rush, paused by shortness of breath.

"What?" Kari cried. "What just happened?"

T.K. rolled his eyes. "Two enslaved Pagumon came and asked for Yolei. I got her, and they said that the Kaiser wanted to see her. They said he said that he had a gift for her. And she bought it. She walked right out of here with them."

Kari was in tears. "No...no...no, no, no, no no no nononononono..." She turned to Davis, who immediately put his arms around her.

"Shh...it'll be all right...she chose to go..."

"I know...but what if the gift is something bad? What if we never see her again?"

Cody gasped. "No." He looked at his three fellow DigiDestined. "I don't care how long it takes, I am sitting on that couch and I am not moving until we know what happened to her."

Davis, still cradling his wife, looked up. Cody sat on the couch, and T.K. was too stunned to move now that he'd informed everyone. "Guys...it may be nothing. Maybe he just wanted to spend time with her. He's egotistical enough to call that a gift. And don't tell me to speak for myself."

Kari giggled through her tears in spite of herself.

"Or maybe he is giving her something for real. I think we should give it an hour or three before we really panic."

T.K. nodded. "I don't think any of us are going to get any rest until then. I'm with Cody." He plunked down next to his friend.

Davis sighed. "You too?" he asked Kari.

She nodded.

"Well, come on." He picked her up and carried her over to the couch, and sat at the other end, next to T.K.. Kari settled into his lap, laying against him. He ran a finger through her hair, and she just sat.

"How long do you think it'll be?" T.K. asked.

"Does it matter?" Cody retorted.

* * *

Yolei tried to see everything, but the Pagumon were going fast, and if she lagged behind they got onto her. _It's so weird that all this has been just outside the door for six years and I've never seen most of it._ She tried to recall what she'd seen six years ago, on that fateful day, but things had gone so fast. She had watched the floor a lot. They'd tried to hatch escape plans, but even with the five of them telling what they remembered, it was impossible to get enough of the layout to find an exit.

"How much further?" she asked.

"Quiet! We're almost there!"

Yolei jerked back, but kept walking. Sure enough, they rounded the corner, and a door came in sight, marked "Control Room". If nothing else, they were close.

She was mildly surprised when they led her through that door, through the Control Room, and into a little alcove off the main room.

The first thing she saw was Hawkmon sitting on the table.

"Hawkmon!" she cried, forgetting about the Spiral. It dawned on her just as the word left her mouth, and it brought pink to her cheeks.

So she was completely floored when Hawkmon turned towards her--still wearing his Spiral--and cried, "Yolei!" jumped down off the table, and ran to her to hug her. He leapt up into her arms and she barely caught him.

"Hawkmon?"

"Can't you see what a tremendous favor the Kaiser is doing us?"

She just looked at him in utter shock. "Uh, what's going on?"

"Can't you see? He's given me a different Dark Spiral. I can't attack, and I can't Digivolve, but other than that it's like there's no Spiral at all!"

Shifting her weight to hold him, she reached down and touched his leg. Sure enough, there was still a Spiral there.

"Oh my...I didn't know that that could be done..."

"Neither did I until he experimented on me--" Hawkmon frowned at that-- "But I don't really care, because now he says I can come stay with you!"

Yolei started to tear up. She looked up and spotted Ken for the first time. "You're doing this--for me?"

"Yes. Do you like your present?"

She smiled. "It's one of the kindest things I've ever had done for me...but I'm afraid I can't let you do this."

Hawkmon gasped. "Yolei, my dear, I hate to interrupt, but if you don't let me come with you I'll go back to being a slave--I don't mind being one, mind you, it's better than being deleted, but if I have the choice I'd rather not--"

"What's the matter?" Ken asked her.

"It wouldn't be fair for me to have Hawkmon when none of the others had their digimon. I'll only take him with me if you promise to make these special Spirals for Armadillomon, Veemon, Gatomon and Patamon, and let all of them stay with us." Yolei blinked back tears. She'd rather not let Ken see her cry.

Hawkmon blinked. "I hope you have a good way out of that if he says no," he hissed at her.

"Don't worry," she whispered back.

Ken watched the pair. _She'd be miserable if her friends could not share in what would otherwise be her happiness. Interesting. Damn loyalty._ He considered for a few minutes, more to build up tension and drama than to really decide. He knew what he would do--whatever would make Yolei happy. "Well...you know, Yolei, if anyone else asked, I would just let them go without their digimon."

She nodded. "I know."

"But, since it's you asking me, I'm going to do it."

She let out a sigh of relief, as did Hawkmon. "Thank you," she whispered.

"You're...welcome. The digimon will be brought to your prison as their new Spirals are completed. They should all be there within twenty-four hours. Hawkmon's Spiral took me all day today and most of yesterday, but now that I've perfected it, the rest should be easy to manufacture."

There was an awkward silence as they stood there, her staring at him, gratefully.

Finally he lowered his glasses and looked her in the eyes. "I'll see you at lunch, Yolei. Please tell the others about their digimon. Pagumon! Escort Yolei and Hawkmon to their quarters."

The Pagumon came and started to lead her off.

"Thank you, Ken," she said over her shoulder. She had never called him by his name to his face. She tried to avoid addressing him directly so that it didn't become an issue, and now she addressed him by his right name, with no honorific. She was being bold indeed.

He was rather surprised to hear his own name. "You're welcome," he said, forcefully, trying to cover embarrassment he didn't want to feel.

After they disappeared, Wormmon looked up at him. "Master, why did you do that?"

No answer.

"Master?"

Ken went and sat in his chair, looking at the different monitors but seeing nothing.

"Master?"

"I'll explain it later, _okay_?" Ken asked tersely.

"Yes, Master."

* * *

The door to the main room started creaking open, and the four occupants of the couch sat up in suspense.

When the door opened, the was Yolei, none the worse for wear, and she was carrying Hawkmon!

"Yolei, are you all right?" Cody asked, standing to his feet as the door closed behind her. "And...Hawkmon?"

"We're fine," she said. "Nothing bad happened." She set Hawkmon down. "Why did I carry you? You're heavy, and you have your own two feet."

"You didn't carry me. You squeezed the life out of me."

Yolei frowned at him, and then looked up at her friends. "Well, ask."

Davis, of course, was the one to let out a barrage of questions. "Where were you? What did he do to you? How come Hawkmon is okay if he's wearing his Spiral?"

"The Pagumon took me to the Control Room, where Ken presented me with Hawkmon, who is wearing a special-model Spiral. He can't attack and he can't digivolve, but everything else is okay. All of our Digimon are getting them, and they're all coming to stay down here."

Davis just had more questions. "When? Are you sure he can't attack? Did you try?"

"Yes, I did," Hawkmon said, "And let me tell you, it hurts like heck." He rubbed his arm to emphasize. "Every muscle gets tight, and you curl up, and you fall over in pain and you can't move for a few minutes until it goes away."

Yolei blinked. "Are you okay?"

"I was fine by the time you got there, and I've only been wearing this thing for thirty minutes, tops."

"If you insist. And as to when, guys, they'll be coming one at a time, and they'll all be here within a day, he said."

"Yolei, aren't you going to tell them that you had to ask him to do everyone else's?" Hawkmon said, poking her. "He wouldn't have decided to do that unless you'd spoken up." He turned to the rest of the group. "She was going to do without unless Ken made special-model Spirals for all of your Digimon as well."

Yolei blushed. "Hawkmon..."

"Oh, Yolei..." Kari came over and hugged her.

"Please...don't make a big fuss."

Kari stepped back. "Yolei, even if this didn't extend to the rest of us, do you know what this is?"

Yolei cocked an eyebrow.

"Your first present from your new boyfriend!" Kari laughed.

The three guys sweatdropped, and Hawkmon poked Yolei again. "Would you care to explain that?"

Yolei's eyes widened. Hawkmon didn't know! "Uh, guys, I have something I need to discuss with my friend here..."

Kari nodded, speaking for the group. "Go...talk...explain. Remember that your Digital Partner is more likely to understand you than anyone else, so if _we_ understand, _he_ will, too."

Yolei smiled. "Thanks. Come on, Hawkmon."

Hawkmon followed her into her room and she quickly had him sit on the couch. She sat on the floor, facing him, so they were on eye level with each other.

"Now, what's all this about a boyfriend?" he asked.

"Well...Hawkmon...this is...very hard for me to explain."

"How so?"

"Hawkmon...Ken and I...well, we..."

Hawkmon sighed and settled back into the couch. "Yolei, my dear, if you mean that you are in love with the Digimon Kaiser..."

"Yes! " she cried. "I am." She hung her head. "I know you must be so disappointed in me."

"Well..." He wasn't sure how to answer.

"Oh, Hawkmon, please don't hate me..."

"Yolei, I could never hate you. I can't say that I know what you see in him, though."

"I don't either. But, I see it. And he sees something in me, too."

"Well, his seeing something in you I can understand. So...just how close are you two?"

Yolei sighed. "He gave you back to me. He's giving the others their digimon because I asked. Over the weeks since Kari's wedding we've come to a few understandings...but we still have a lot to work out."

"Like the whole Digimon Kaiser thing?"

She laughed a little, blushing. "Well, yeah. Actually, I got the chance to talk with Wormmon, and he said that Ken was really sweet once upon a time. I'm hoping that something can be done to change him back. That's why I'm letting things go on."

"He might give it up for you."

"Maybe. Not likely." She sighed. "Things were so much easier when we thought Ken and the Digimon Kaiser were two different people."

Hawkmon just sat and stared at her for a while.

"What?" she asked.

"You forget, I may have not changed, but I haven't had time to really observe you now that you've grown up. All my memories of you are from back when you were fifteen. I wish I could have been there all this time."

"Oh, Hawkmon, I missed you too!" Yolei couldn't resist the impulse. She sat up on her knees and reached over and hugged him.

"Yolei--please--remind me not to get so sentimental anymore--"

"Sorry." She set him back down on the couch. Then she stood, and pretended to model, turning around in front of him, blowing kisses, acting like she was in front of a camera. "So...how do I look?"

"Absolutely wonderful, my dear."

She laughed. Something that she'd had a hard time doing ever since Ken walked back into their lives.


	8. Chapter 8

Ken came for lunch, and Yolei was right beside him--although Hawkmon was there as well, watching. T.K. and Cody hurried through the meal, as had become their habit, to leave Yolei alone with him. They could linger over breakfast and dinner.

After they left, Ken glared at Hawkmon over his glasses. "Is he going to sit there the whole time?" he demanded.

"Why shouldn't I?" Hawkmon challenged.

"Guys, please," Yolei cut in. "Hawkmon, please, it's not even going to be an hour...by tomorrow the rest of the digimon will be there to keep you company...just this once, would you mind being by yourself for a little while?"

"Is that what you want?"

She bit her lip. This required tact, something she had always found hard to come by. "I'll be spending twenty-three hours a day with you. We can be apart for one."

"Well, all right. But if the rest of the digimon aren't here tomorrow, I'm staying." He got up out of his chair with an indignant look towards Ken and left the pair alone.

"Is he always like that?" Ken asked her.

"Like what?"

"Protective."

"Oh. Yeah, I guess so. Isn't Wormmon protective of you?"

"I don't know. He's never had a need to be." Ken frowned, but let the thought dismiss as he turned his attentions to Yolei. "So...how are you and your present getting along?"

"I didn't realize just how much of my life he'd been missing until he had it back. I don't know what I've been doing without him."

"Can I take that as a yes?"

Yolei was tempted to bonk him over the head with a spoon, but she didn't. _He needs to be treated nicely and with respect or he'll never want to give up this Kaiser stuff._ "Duh," she said.

He smirked. "I wouldn't have done that for just anyone, you know."

"Yeah, I know." She smiled at him beatifically. "So...why me?"

 _What? She doesn't get it?_ "Well, Yolei, I...I have come to...like you...over these past few weeks."

"Like me in what way?" _I love being a woman._

He sighed. _She's pressing it...but at the same time, I want to tell her..._ "You know...like you. Like... _like_ you."

Yolei tried to hide her laughter. Who would have known that the Digimon Kaiser, the once-boy genius, knew so little when it came to women? "Like...as in...dating? As in...love? As in...long-term relationship?" She tried to act embarrassed, but she wasn't embarrassed at all. She was actually having fun, teasing him, watching him squirm in his seat like a five-year-old.

"...maybe..." he confessed in a squeak. Then, in his normal voice, "Probably?" He sunk noticeably lower in his seat.

She giggled like a schoolgirl. "Oh, Ken!" The name came so easily now that she had used it once. She blushed, almost more from reflex than from actually being flustered. Then she sobered. "But it'll never work."

"Why not?" _Kaisers don't fall for peasants,_ he remembered. He wished he hadn't said that to Wormmon.

"Because...the others won't like it...Hawkmon doesn't think much of you...and...I mean...you're the Digimon Kaiser. I shouldn't even be in the same room with you, and here I sit, all crush-y over you..."

Ken jerked his head up. "You care about me, too?"

She nodded. "But...like I said, it isn't meant to be. It wouldn't work."

"The offer stands unchanged. You need never know about my daytime doings."

She turned away. "Are you deaf? As much as we both want it, it won't work. There's too much going against us." She hadn't planned for things to happen this quickly, but the emotions were there, and there was no stopping them. A tear ran down her cheek. "I'm sorry."

"Aren't you willing to brave it? I am."

She looked up at him. Between her wet glasses and her tears, she got a fuzzy image. She wasn't ready for this. Marriage was not something she was going to decide on after only a few weeks. "Aren't you willing to let things go on like they have been for a while? Until we can both sort out exactly what we want?"

That smarted. "Is that what you want right now?" It was an odd feeling, letting her reject him for the time being to gain her acceptance in the future. Just plain letting someone else's feelings interfere with his own, to care about her more than himself, was a new sensation.

"Right now. Unless something drastic happens." _Like you giving up this Kaiser stuff. Like letting us go home. Like...like..._

"If that's what you want, I'll let things go slower, then."

Yolei nodded. There was an awkward pause, neither one sure of what to say.

"Gatomon!" Kari's voice echoed from the main room.

Yolei looked at the door, which was open just a crack. She grabbed Ken's hand. "Come on!"

"Give them a few minutes alone," Ken said. In truth he wanted a few more minutes alone with Yolei. "I want to ask...would you mind coming down to the main part of the base sometimes--I mean, my personal space? There's plenty to do...and...we could...date. Properly. _You_ know."

 _Is it just me, or is he_ blushing _? Wait 'til Kari hears_ this _!_ "That sounds like...fun. It's been a long time since anyone asked me on a date."

"So, yes?"

"Yes. Yes. Let me know, whenever."

He smiled. Not grinned evilly, not smirked, not laughed, but honestly, truly, smiled. It was a new look and Yolei liked it on him. "I will. I think I have some free time tomorrow." He liked seeing her blush at that. The truth was that he had quite a bit of free time almost every day, but he didn't want to sound too eager. "Now, let's go see how Gatomon's Spiral is doing."

They went out into the living room. Yolei was as happy for Kari as Kari was happy for herself, but Ken stood against the wall, feeling out-of-place. He kept silent, and left at the stroke of one in his usual tight-lipped manner.

* * *

That night, Kari and Yolei sat on the couch out in the main room. It was completely dark except the light from the TV on which they were watching a movie. Davis was, apparently, in the shower, and Kari had chosen not to join him right at that moment. Their two digimon were already asleep--Hawkmon on Yolei's bed, and Gatomon on the couch in the Motomiya's suite.

"Davis and I will want the bed...to ourselves..." Kari had explained to her digimon.

"You don't have to explain. I get it," Gatomon had told her. "I'll be fine as long as Veemon gets his own couch to sleep on."

Kari had laughed. "We'll work something out. It might mean taking turns on the couch and the floor."

But, Veemon was the only digimon who had not showed up that day. The Piximon escorting Patamon--the last one to arrive--had only been able to say that Veemon would probably get there the next morning.

Yolei glanced at her friend, who seemed kind of bored with the movie. "It happened," she said out of the blue.

" _What_ happened?" Kari asked sleepily.

"We both admitted that we care about each other. And suddenly, he wants to date formally."

Kari raised an eyebrow, turning down the volume. "Go on."

"Of course, the only place we can go is what he called his personal space. I don't think he meant his bedroom. He probably has an entire amusement park inside here."

Kari laughed. She knew Yolei was exaggerating, but she knew that Ken probably did have a lot of things intended to keep himself busy when there was nothing to do. "You go, girlfriend."

Yolei laughed. "I'm going to. I'll take Hawkmon the first few times. That way he'll feel better about where I'm going and what I'm doing."

"And he'll probably be good to have around if Ken tries anything..."

Yolei blinked. "I thought of that, but I honestly don't think he will. He's too formal, too...cultured. And if he does, I will backhand him so hard he'll land in next Tuesday..."

Kari laughed. "That's saying a lot, considering it's Wednesday."

"And the other thing... _I_ made _him_ blush."

Kari started laughing too hard to say anything else. When she was finally breathing normally again, she stared Yolei right in the eyes. "When you blush over a guy, it's no biggie, but when he blushes over you, it's love."

This sent Yolei into her own peal of laughter.

Kari raised an eyebrow. "What? It's true! Davis used to blush--he still does--all the time! T.K. never blushed."

Yolei just shook her head.

A door creaked open behind them, and there was no doubt as to which one it was. "Kari-chan...I'm finished..."

Kari turned and looked over the back of the couch. Davis was wearing only a pair of shorts and had a towel around his neck. His hair was all wet. And he just looked so...dang...oh boy... "Um, Yolei, if you don't mind, I...uh...have to go..." Kari stood and headed for her beloved.

"I'll let you know how the movie ends," Yolei said. _Those two...I swear..._

Kari was already in a trance beyond breaking and didn't answer.

Yolei sighed and tried to pay attention to the movie.

* * *

The minute Kari found her way into his arms, she felt safe. Her breathing was already coming in heavy rasps. "Dai...su...ke?..." she managed in between breaths.

"Yeah...me too..." He brushed a kiss on her forehead, and then a fiery one across her lips.

Oh boy. It was in motion, and it would be practically impossible to stop things now.

The pair quickly made their way to the bedroom, trying not to disturb Gatomon. As soon as the lock clicked shut and the lights were off, the temperature began to rise. Everything might have been a blur, but in its own way, it was an expression of love.

Before marriage, one of the ways Davis had let her know he loved her was by backing off. A few times he had felt himself...well...being a typical hormonal, teenage guy, but he knew that she was proud of the fact that she was saving herself for marriage, so he'd gone into his bedroom, locked the door behind him, and laid on his bed until he was back under control. Of course, whenever he got up and left her abruptly, she knew exactly what was going on. She knew it was hard for him, and she knew that sometimes he just couldn't help himself. Out of respect for the fact that he _had_ backed off, she never mentioned it when he returned.

But now, now things were different. They could enjoy absolutely everything the other had to offer with no restraints and no worries. No holding back. And they took advantage of that, every night. A lot of times more often than that.

To pour one's self out completely, to only one person during the course of a lifetime, that was serious business. Davis was glad--now--that her wanting to wait had, of course, made him wait. He saw--now--that it would have cheapened the experience otherwise. This was something he would never experience with anyone but his Kari-chan, thereby making her all the more his, and at the same time, making her so special that he could hardly believe she had chosen him. Of course his "rivalry" with T.K. had ended so long ago no one even thought of it anymore, or remembered it as being nothing worth mentioning, but there were millions of guys in the world. He had asked her one morning before they got up and out of bed if she would have still chosen him if they were not imprisoned.

She had run a finger along his cheek and just smiled. And rolled her eyes. "Daisuke,"--she only called him that in romantic moments--"I know that that's the stupidest question you have asked in all ten of the years I've known you, and probably the stupidest question you have ever asked in all the nineteen years you've been alive."

It was a put-down, but paradoxically, the greatest compliment she had ever paid him or ever could pay him. He had never loved her more than in that moment, and after that moment the thought that she would choose him made him love her more with every passing second.

Forget the fact that they were only nineteen. Being married made you see things in a different light, regardless. He had thought that on their wedding day, he would never love her any more than he did then, but any given moment that had passed since was proof otherwise.

* * *

Ken was still, lying in bed, thinking. Wormmon was asleep.

_Why have I become so weak? I haven't felt anything like this since...since..._

He had to literally stop and think about it.

_Since before I became who I am now._

He considered it a change from who he had been before, and for a fleeting moment that bothered him. Sam might have been the smart overachiever, but Ken had always been told that he was a good boy.

He let the memory wash over the present; clear-cut past covering up the confusing now.

He'd been six years old. Sam had brought home another report card full of A's, and Ken had no more to show than a picture he'd colored in class that day. Of course Mrs. Ichijouji made a huge fuss over Sam's grades, and spent quite a bit of time and attention on him before even looking at Ken.

Ken had waited patiently, and was standing there in his stocking feet in the kitchen doorway. It had been at least twenty minutes, but he had not complained, had not tugged on his mother's skirt. It might have been an even longer wait had nature not called Sam.

"Mama?"

"What is it, Ken?" she asked, picking him up and setting him on the counter. "Are you all right?"

Ken remembered thinking that he was so quiet, his parents thought he only made noise when things went wrong. But he had decided not to say anything. Instead, he had held out the brightly-colored drawing--marker and crayon on yellow construction paper.

His mother had surveyed it with expressionless eyes. It was a typical little boy's picture; a fancy convertible going down an open road.

Ken had smiled, totally adorable in his very chibi-ness. "See, Mama? I'm driving it!"

She looked up at him. "I don't think so, mister," she said, teasingly. "No keys for another eight years, at least. But it's a good picture, Ken." She went over to the fridge and put it up with a magnet shaped like a fish.

Ken had smiled at the praise; it was rare in coming to him.

The phone rang and Mrs. Ichijouji had picked it up. "Moshi, moshi, Ichijouji desu...Yes, Osamu is here, but he's busy...Oh, I see. What's the matter, Mr. Yamada?"

In the pause Ken had tried to think of where he had heard that name. Then he'd remembered. Mr. Yamada was the principal of Sam's school. And apparently, something had happened.

"But he has perfect grades!...I see. Things happen during lunch and recess. But, my Sam wouldn't participate in such things..." Mrs. Ichijouji started sniffling. "All right. I will speak to Mr. Ichijouji about it. Good-bye."

After she hung the phone up, she let a few tears roll down her cheeks.

"What's the matter, Mama?" Ken asked tentatively.

"Oh, Ken..." she turned and picked him up off the counter, hugging him. "Promise me you'll always be a good boy like you are now."

"I promise, Mama." It had been the innocent promise of a boy, still just a kid, who hadn't yet seen the wrong side of life and didn't know better. He had been rather upset to see his mother cry, despite how emotional she always had been.

She nodded a bit and set him down. "Go play." She gave him a gentle push toward the door, and he ran off to find Sam.

He and Sam had spent a glorious afternoon together. Sam had been an unusually un-scholarly mood, and played a game with him. He taught small Ken to blow bubbles with a straw and soapy water. For once, Ken was better at something than Sam, and while he didn't brag about it, he delighted in it inwardly.

That night, Ken had been tucked into bed, but he wasn't tired. Of course it was only a few minutes before he convinced himself that he just _had_ to go to the bathroom.

As he was walking back to his room, he heard his parents talking in the living room. He flattened himself against the wall and listened.

"Mr. Yamada called today," Mrs. Ichijouji said. "About Sam."

"What about him?" Ken's father asked.

"Well, he said that Sam has been getting into trouble. He's been seen with a few of the school's troublemakers, some kids who get suspended often and things like that. A few pranks have been pulled on a few of his teachers. There's no proof, but they wanted us to talk to him."

Ken peeked around the corner to see his father lean forward and look at her. "Do you really think Sam could be falling in with the wrong crowd?"

Wormmon shifted in his sleep, bringing Ken back to the unrelenting present. He sighed. After that night, Sam had gotten more and more of an attitude. He was too smart to get caught, though.

Unfortunately, the "new" Sam had rubbed off on Ken, and the part that rubbed off was the part Ken remembered when he decided he wanted to be like his brother.

_Is that why I decided to become the Kaiser? So I would be one of the "bad guys"?_

Wormmon moved again, waking fully this time. He glanced up at Ken to find the young man's eyes wide open. "Master?"

"Go back to sleep," Ken ordered in a harsh, tight tone.

"But, Master..."

"I was thinking about the past. I wish I could just erase it all."

Wormmon frowned. "It can't be that bad."

Ken hmphed. "Tomorrow Yolei will coming down here," he said, trying to get Wormmon to focus his attention on something--anything--else.

It worked. Wormmon's eyes widened. "What for?"

"Well, we're going to spend time together, away from the others."

"But--"

"It's something humans do. It's called dating."

Wormmon nodded. "Master, we should get back to sleep."

 _Back? You have to go somewhere once to go back to it._ "Whatever. If you're tired, go ahead." Ken snapped his own eyes shut. Wormmon curled tightly next to him and went back to sleep.


	9. Chapter 9

Yolei murmured in her sleep. Someone was poking her. Repeatedly.

It took a few seconds in her sleepy, befuddled brain to figure out who. When it clicked, she sat straight up.

"Hawkmon! Do you mind?!" She held a pillow threateningly in her hands.

He smiled. "It's late. You need to be up."

The clock read seven-thirty. She sighed. "It's not late, but I do need to be up. I have a...oh brother, how do I say this? I have a date."

Hawkmon stared. "With the Kaiser." It wasn't a question.

She blushed and nodded. "Yeah. But don't worry. I'm taking you along. Not _every_ time, but I want you there the first few times. And if Ken won't let you come, then I won't go."

"Sounds like a good plan, up until the part where you start leaving me behind."

Yolei rolled her eyes. "It's hard for you to trust him, but not for me. I just wish you'd trust my judgment."

Hawkmon frowned, crossing his arms stubbornly.

"Hawkmon, have I misjudged anyone before?"

He smirked. "Might I remind you of Digitamamon?"

She sighed. "I can't win. Anyway, I still think that if you got to know him, to realize that he's not all bad--"

"It's only the parts of him that _are_ bad that scare me."

She blinked. "You're scared? Not upset that I fell for him, but scared that he'll hurt me?"

Hawkmon nodded.

"Well, Hawkmon, I promise you that I will not let him hurt me, okay?"

He looked at her lop-eyed. "Well..." he dragged it out, "I don't know about this. But if you promise..."

"I promise."

They shook on it.

* * *

Davis sat on the couch in the main room. He twiddled his thumbs nervously. Kari was still asleep, and no one else had come out of their rooms.

 _Aww, Veemon._ He was trying to wait patiently, but patience was not his best quality, and the longer he waited, the more he was sure that Ken had decided not to make a special-model Spiral for Veemon.

Ken always had hated him. The soccer game where Ken had whipped his butt, the time that same day that Ken had tricked him into thinking that he was going to kill the rest of the DigiDestined, all the battles in the Digital World, their final day of freedom.

Davis had thought long and hard about that day many times.

Breaking into the base. Getting split up. Reunited. Battling Kimeramon. Losing.

That was the part that had always made him mad. That their five Armor Digimon were not enough to defeat that stupid amalgamation of digimon body parts. They needed...

He grinned. Sometimes a thought from the part of his mind that was still thirteen caught him off guard. _We really could have used a Super-Digimon. Veemon digivolve to Supermon!_ He almost laughed aloud.

Suddenly, the door opened, and he was on his guard, until two Pagumon escorted Veemon in.

"Davis!" Veemon cried in his adorable lisp.

"Hey, buddy!" Davis got up off his rear and the two of them met in a big bear hug.

The Pagumon slipped out, locking the door.

"This is so cool!" Veemon said, all smiles.

"I'm so happy!" Davis picked up the little blue critter and swung him around. They both laughed. Then Davis sat on the couch with his digimon in his lap.

Veemon studied his face. "Davis...is that a...are you... _crying_?"

Davis nodded. "I really missed you, buddy. But everything's okay now."

Veemon smiled. "So...how are things going with you and Kari?"

"Wonderful. Veemon, except for the fact that you weren't here, the past few weeks have been perfect. And now, everything is perfect."

Veemon smiled. "Ahh, this is the life." He snuggled down next to Davis and spent a rare moment in silence.

Davis grinned.

And then, they fell asleep.

* * *

T.K. was aware of a warm presence in his bed with him. He opened his eyes groggily. _Oh. Yeah. Patamon._

He sat up. The blankets fell from around him, revealing his shirtless state. He watched his digimon sleep.

 _Damn, I missed him._ He'd known that he missed Patamon in the special times, but he hadn't realized how much he missed him in the normal, everyday things, like right now. They'd only been together about ten hours, and slept eight of those, but it was already dawning on him.

He sighed in contentment, running a finger along Patamon's ear, and then placing his hand on the digimon's head, as if to assure himself that Patamon was really there.

Patamon woke at the touch. He looked up. "T.K.!" he cried joyfully. "It wasn't a dream!" T.K. almost fell over as Patamon jumped into his arms, but caught himself and hugged the small digimon.

"Nope!" T.K. laughed. "And I promise, we will never be apart again!"

* * *

Cody slowly drifted into consciousness. He was in his bed, but he was laying against something hard on his left side.

Armadillomon's shell.

Armadillomon's shell?!

"Armadillomon!" he cried, waking the digimon and hugging his neck.

"I reckon," Armadillomon smiled. "Thanks for the wake-up call."

Cody laughed good-naturedly. "I'm so happy that you're here!"

Armadillomon couldn't help but notice how Cody had grown. "Cody, you look completely different. But you haven't changed a bit."

Cody laughed. He knew he'd shot up considerably height-wise, but at the same time, looked very much like he always had. "I think I know what you mean."

"You should. We're friends for life. We should understand each other."

Cody was still happy, and laughed yet again. "And we do! I am so glad we're together again!"

* * *

Kari woke up reaching out for Davis. Why wasn't she in his arms? He might be in the shower, but surely he would have woken her to see if she wanted to join him like he always did.

Finally, she touched warmth. Body.

Waitaminit! This wasn't Davis! Davis was not _furry_!

She sat straight up, clutching sheets to her bare chest, and opened her eyes.

"Oh! Gatomon, you scared me!"

The digi-kitty rolled her eyes. "Davis went out to the living room to wait for Veemon and woke me up, so I decided to come in here with you. I was going to wake you up soon."

"Why?"

"'Cause it's time to be up." Gatomon pointed to a clock on the nightstand. Eight-thirty.

"Yeah, I guess you're right. Tell you what, you go get yourself something to eat, and I'll get dressed."

Gatomon nodded, and then scampered off to the kitchenette to find something to eat. Around the time she had scrounged out something she liked, Kari came out, fully dressed. "I'm going to go get Davis and then I'll make breakfast...for the two of us," Kari said, noticing that Gatomon had foraged for herself. "Or three, if Veemon's there."

Gatomon nodded, too busy with something that involved tuna fish to reply verbally.

Kari went out into the living room, and spotted her husband, with Veemon asleep on his lap.

 _Aww...how kawaii._ Kari walked up behind the couch and leaned down, kissing Davis's neck right where she knew--from experience--there was a sensitive spot.

Davis murmured, shifted, and woke. "Kari?" he asked, heavily.

"Right here," she whispered in his ear. "It's an incredible feeling, huh?"

He knew she was referring to having Veemon back. "It's second only to having married you."

She sat on the middle of the back of the couch.

He slipped a hand up and around the front of her waist, pulling her backwards and causing her to tumble onto the couch. "Davis!" she squeaked. He pulled her close and mischievously pressed a kiss to her lips.

Veemon woke up from all the jostling. "Hey! Break it up, you two!"

Davis laughed and let Kari jerk away.

She glared at him. "You know, if I didn't love you so much, I wouldn't speak to you for a week."

"Maybe so, but I wouldn't have done that unless I knew that you _do_ love me so much."

She rolled her eyes. "Breakfast?"

"Sounds great."

* * *

Ken paced in the Control Room. It was an hour until lunch, after which he was bringing Yolei back up here to his personal quarters.

He had no clue how they were going to spend the time. Just talking sounded good, but it wasn't what she was expecting, nor what she wanted. _I have to think of_ something _!_

The workings of controlling nearly every digimon alive wouldn't interest her, he knew that for a fact. He had countless "toys", mostly of the electronic nature, but most of them were only enjoyable for one. Games were out, they were too old, and it wouldn't be particularly fun. He considered trying to talk her into a make-out session, but she had already gotten onto him once for moving too fast. _It can wait._

He looked around and sighed. He let his face fall into an upraised hand and growled at himself. He was annoyed at himself.

"Master?" Wormmon ventured out of the corner and looked up at him curiously.

"What?"

"What's bothering you?"

Ken blushed behind his hand. _How in the world does one explain love to a digimon?_ "Yolei," he said, simply. "I don't know what we're going to do when she comes up here later."

"Why don't you let her decide?"

The light clicked on in Ken's head. Duuuuu-uuuuuh. For a genius, he could be such an idiot. "Of course," he said. He let his hand drop and looked at Wormmon. "Call me when it's time to go down for lunch. I have work to get back to." _And now that I've settled that, I can concentrate._

* * *

Yolei was a bit nervous as lunchtime approached. She wasn't sure when Ken wanted her to come see him, but she knew the way he thought. Today was probably the day.

Sitting out on the couch, she told Kari, and Kari just smiled. "Good. I'm glad to see things are going how you'd hoped."

Yolei rolled her eyes. "I wish I knew _what_ I had hoped. This is all so _confusing_!"

Kari frowned. "You do still like him, right?"

"More than ever...but I'm kind of scared of him, too."

"That's understandable...I know when Davis and I first got started, I was scared of what I was doing."

"Really?" Yolei blinked. She didn't remember that. But, the more she thought about it, the more she thought that she had never _really_ been in love before. Just, crushes, or infatuation.

"Look, Yolei, everyone is scared of new-found love. They're afraid of letting things go on because they're not sure they've found the right person."

"Well, when do you know?"

Kari sighed. "You just do. You're both just sitting there, and you look in each other's eyes, and one of you just can't hold it back any more, and says it, and the other gets all teary, and asks 'Really?', and then you both know it. And then usually, you kiss like you never have before..."

Yolei rolled her eyes. "Assuming you've kissed."

Kari laughed. "Well, consider what the alternative to having never been kissed would be in your specific case. You'd have to have been kissed by T.K....Cody's a little young for you..."

Yolei made a face. "Yuck. I mean, he's a great guy, a great friend, but...I just can't...yuck."

The door from outside opened, startling them both. Ken entered, followed by digimon slaves carting in food. Hawkmon, who had been silent throughout Yolei and Kari's conversation, frowned and glared, but maintained his silence.

Kari stood. "See ya, Yolei. I have to go cook for two bottomless pits..."

"Veemon and Gatomon?"

"No...Veemon and Davis."

Yolei laughed as her friend disappeared into her suite. Then she turned to face Ken. "Hi...I think the guys are already in there..."

Ken nodded. They went into the dining room--Hawkmon in tow--and they sat in their normal seats. T.K. and Cody--and their respective digimon--had already settled down to their plates. The seven ate in silence, and then T.K. looked up at Cody. "Super Smash Brothers?"

Cody nodded. They left, Patamon and Armadillomon following close behind.

Hawkmon turned to Yolei. "Should I go with them?"

Yolei turned to Ken. "Well, Ken, that depends on you. When are we going?"

He looked surprised. "As soon as you're finished."

"Well, I want Hawkmon along the first few times. That would include today."

Ken frowned. _But this is supposed to be our time. Special._ Funny, he felt jealous, not angry. "Why?"

"Because I want him to know where I'm at when I come see you. We'll both feel better."

 _Well, at least she trusts me not to try anything on her. I would never do that to her._ Somehow, he knew she was telling him the truth and not trying to cover up what might have been the obvious answer. "Once. That's it."

Yolei nodded. She'd been thinking three or four times, but it seemed enough. "Great. Let's go." She grabbed his hand and stood, waiting for him to come.

He stood, and she picked up Hawkmon and ran ahead to the outer door. He followed at a slower, more dignified pace. He tapped on it. "Pagumon!"

The door opened from outside, and they stepped out into the hallway. The lock clicked shut as the door closed, and again Yolei noticed it was a far friendlier sound when you were on the outside rather than the in.

Ken stuck out his arm. "I think it would be best if I had a hold on you...you _are_ still a prisoner." _What an excuse!_ he bashed himself mentally.

 _What an excuse!_ Yolei thought. _Oh well._ She shifted Hawkmon so that he was entirely in her left arm and stuck her right one through his, taking the closeness where she could get it. Hawkmon offered to get down but she shook her head. She realized that Ken had said "a" prisoner and not "my" prisoner. Maybe something was clicking. Of course, it might have been a fluke, but Yolei was just too optimistic to believe that.

The walk seemed much shorter with Ken than it had with the Pagumon, but Yolei wondered if maybe that was because she hadn't _enjoyed_ being with the Pagumon.

They just passed the Control Room, and Ken led her into a suite far bigger than her own, and fancier--as well as the obvious of more masculine. She let go of his arm and set Hawkmon down. She looked around with wide eyes. They were in the living room. There was an entertainment center, a couch, and a bookshelf. She could see an open doorway to his bedroom, and another door that Yolei guessed led directly to the Control Room.

Hawkmon promptly went and sat down on the far end of the couch.

Ken shut the door quietly and started to lock it, but then... "No. You're not my prisoner here. You're my guest." She turned to see him purposely open the door a crack. "If I can't trust you, then there's no point in even going on like this. If you're only here hoping for a chance to get away, then I don't want you here."

She blinked. Twice. "Ken...that's sweet." She blinked a third time, and assured herself that the stupid tears _were_ in check.

"Well, it's not like I'm going to ignore you, anyway. We'll be so busy that you won't have half a chance to try." He grinned, although lopsidedly. "But even if we weren't I'd trust you." _And I have no idea why._

She nodded. "Busy doing what?"

"Oh...I was going to let you decide that. I have no idea what you like to do, and I want to find out. I figured that letting you pick what to do would be the best way to do that." He _had_ figured that, after Wormmon had planted the idea in his head.

 _Well...there's a lot to do...but what would be fun?_ She went over to the entertainment center and started looking through its contents. DVDs, videos. She hadn't realized that he had enough free time to still do "normal" stuff, but the more she saw of the room, the more she realized that he must have missed the real world as much as the rest of them. The decor in the room was not unlike what she'd expect to see in a typical bachelor pad back home in Tokyo. "Why don't we watch a movie?"

"Well...okay...pick one."

She started flipping through them. "Have you seen them all before?"

"Yeah."

"Where do you get them?"

"Just because I've lost access to the real world doesn't mean I can't access the Internet. I know how to hack into things...they're all free. Amazon.com will never know the difference if one copy of any given DVD ends up at points unknown."

She cocked an eyebrow. "But how do you get them to ship here--"

"That's the tricky part, but we'll leave it at that, okay?"

She nodded. "I'd probably rather not know, right?"

He nodded in return.

When she finally found an action/romance that looked promising, she turned and held it out to him. She was surprised to see that he'd slinked out of his cape and draped it over the arm of the couch opposite Hawkmon, and casually taken a seat. Sitting there in that tight--Yolei only then noticed how tight--jumpsuit, he actually looked...attractive? Striking? No. Lose the glasses, calm the hair, maybe then. But it wasn't right, not quite like that.

"Do you know how to work it?" he asked.

"I've been a computer geek most of my life. If there's an electronic device I can't figure out, I'll be ashamed of myself."

He smiled and watched her figure it out. It didn't take but a few seconds, and she came and sat on the couch, between her digimon and the object of her affection. He dimmed the lights--"because the way the room is set up, the glare is awful, I really ought to fix that"--and they were all quiet.

It was...awkward.

She tried to pay attention to the movie.

Tried.

She wouldn't have minded Ken's inching closer if Hawkmon hadn't been giving him dirty looks. She wouldn't have minded Hawkmon's dirty looks if Ken hadn't been inching closer.

She almost wished she had left Hawkmon behind. She knew Ken wasn't going to try anything, and Hawkmon's presence was only making things awkward--for her, anyway. Ken seemed perfectly at ease.

She sighed inaudibly and leaned back--

Against Ken's arm! For a split second, she reveled in the fact that his hand was draping over her shoulder, and his fingertips seemed to fall in just the right places to make her shiver. But then, she remembered exactly what was going on, and she jerked forward, but he didn't let his hand let go of her.

They exchanged a glance. By the light of the TV, she saw him smile.

She blushed, but settled backwards into the couch, and snuggled against his arm.

Even in the dark, even though she could not see, she knew she'd made him blush.

As the movie went on, she started leaning less and less on the couch and more and more against his side.

When the movie was over, they let the DVD do its thing. Hawkmon had fallen asleep, so he wasn't bothering them.

They simply sat. Neither one dared to break the spell by speaking, or making any sudden moves. Ken's hand was still on her shoulder, and he started stroking with his thumb. Yolei was amazed at how simple touch could send tingles down her spine. They'd never kissed; he wasn't even touching bare skin; _but_ , she was leaning against his side in the dark; they were alone--or close enough to it.

"Ken?" she murmured.

"Yes?" He spoke softly, not daring to let his voice break a whisper. The moment was too incredible to just shatter it.

" _What_ in the _world_ are we _doing_?" She still whispered, but harder.

"Nothing wrong...nothing even questionable." _Are we?_

"I know...but...why us? Why do we feel the way we do? Why does it feel so right and so wrong all at once?" _It does. Oh, it does..._

 _Oh._ "I...don't know, Yolei...but... _please_...don't make it end..." His hand lifted from her shoulder and came to the side of her near him, and he stroked a bit of hair out of her face and behind her ear.

She noticed every small detail. The way he seemed reluctant to chance leaving the here and now; the way his finger hit the arm of her glasses; the way his hand quickly returned to her shoulder.

She closed her eyes in the semidarkness of the TV screen. She drew her legs up sideways onto the couch and put the hand that wasn't pinned against Ken's side on her knee. He put his own hand on top of it.

"Yolei..."

"Ken, no, don't say it. I know that there's something between us, and it's something we can't turn back from, but it isn't...you know...not _yet_..."

"Someday?" he implored, overwhelmed by what he was feeling. He had never felt so much for another person before. He wasn't even sure he'd ever cared so much about his own well-being. _I want to_ love _you, Yolei...I don't really care if you love me or not, but I want you to know that I_ do _love you...now. I do love you, and I am waiting for you to want to hear that from me._

"Someday. Maybe even some day soon. But not today." _Soon. Very soon. I promise. I know what you're feeling. I feel it myself. I just want to be sure it's going to last._

"Don't leave yet."

She let out a deep breath. He could feel it, but barely heard it. "I wasn't going to. The change of scenery is nice, but I enjoy being here with _you_ more than anything else." She laid her head on his shoulder. He laid his head on top of hers, and then turned and planted a kiss on the top of her head, pushing her kerchief backwards on her head with his lips. Then he settled himself back how he had been before he did that, amazed at how soft her hair was under his cheek.

He moved his hand from atop hers to brush her hair out of her face on the other side, and she took the opportunity to place her hand on his shoulder under her cheek. He put his hand on her far shoulder and turned her more facing him. Finally, they were comfortable.

In the dark, it didn't take them long to fall asleep.

* * *

Wormmon knocked on the door from the Control Room to Ken's private quarters. "Master?" It had been three hours since Ken had brought Yolei back to his room, and one hour since Wormmon had heard muffled voices. No answer. Finally Wormmon opened the door and found the room almost completely dark, save for the blank screen of the TV. Hawkmon was asleep on the end of the couch nearest him, and on the other end...

Yolei was asleep in Ken's arms!

Things had gone better between them than Wormmon had dared to hope.

Now, how to wake them so that it seemed accidental?

Wormmon decided that the easiest thing would be to turn on the lights and turn off the TV, generally make it seem like he was cleaning up after them. As soon as the lights were no longer dim, Hawkmon stirred.

"Eh...? I was asleep? Oh no, Yo..." he stopped when he turned and saw Yolei wrapped up with Ken. Not what he would have preferred, but she seemed happy, and it was obvious Ken had not done her any harm.

"Hawkmon?" he heard. The voice was low, and wavery.

"Wormmon?"

"Yes."

Wormmon appeared from behind the couch, and the two of them stared at each other for a few moments. Wormmon broke the silence. "Should we wake them up?"

Hawkmon frowned. "I hate to break Yolei away from something that seems to make her happy, but the others down in our rooms will be worried if she doesn't come back soon. Yes. Let's wake them." He started poking her in the back.

She frowned in her sleep. She was against something rather warm, and it was far too big to be Hawkmon. Whatever it was, it was bigger than her. She opened her eyes to see blue. Ken's jumpsuit...

Oh boy. Hawkmon was going to be upset later on. He wouldn't get onto her until they were alone, but she dreaded even suggesting that she was awake.

"Ow!" he finally poked her hard enough that she had no choice.

Ken woke quickly, hearing her. He pulled his arms away as she jumped back with a start, thinking he had made her cry out. When he realized it was Hawkmon trying to get her up, he relaxed, but did not reach for her again.

"Yolei, my dear, we need to go."

She rubbed her eyes. "What time is it?"

"If the movie was two hours, it's been an hour since it was over."

"Oh! We need to get back to the others. Kari will worry."

Ken sighed. Still seated, he pulled his cape back around his shoulders. "I'll have to walk you back."

She nodded. "I know. I was hoping you would, at any rate."

He nodded, stood, and helped her to her feet. She picked Hawkmon up off the couch, and carried him like before.

He took her arm and led her out of the room, heading back to her prison. When they got to the door, she let Hawkmon down and he went in, giving them a minute alone.

He held her, a hand on each of her elbows, but not touching her anywhere else. "Yolei...I know you have to get back with the others. But...next time..."

"Tomorrow?" she asked hopefully.

He smiled. "Definitely. _Tomorrow_ , we need to talk about today."

"What about today?" she asked, her eyes searching his the best they could through the tinted glasses he wore.

"Something happened. I felt something for you today that I never felt for anyone before in my whole life."

"I told you, it's too soon to be..." she trailed off. She didn't dare say the word.

"I know. I know. But I think that what I felt-- _feel_ , Yolei, I _still_ feel it--for you, today, is...oh, Yolei, you already said you're not ready to call it that. But that doesn't change how I feel."

She took in a deep breath. She wanted to hear him say it, desperately, but it was too soon. Give it a few weeks, at least. _But it_ has _been a few weeks, and time won't change anything,_ her inner mind argued. "Okay, Ken, we'll talk about it...tomorrow. I need to get in..."

He nodded, and she went in. He closed the door behind her, and as soon as the lock clicked shut, he banged his head against the metal door.

_Damn! I want her to know! I want her to know! I love her, damn it!_

How had he fallen for her? How? Why? At that moment, he would have given up everything just so that he could tell her. Just to have her know that he cared about her. Cared about her more than his own self.

If Yolei had known, she would have come back to him that instant and begged him to say it. To tell her what she was pretty sure she knew. Things might happen, and they might have all returned to the real world yet.

But, soon, the "reasonable" side of him took over. He would _not_ give up anything as long as he didn't _have_ to. He didn't think he'd have to.

* * *

Kari, of course, wanted the 4-1-1 as soon as possible. For the first time, Yolei was a little reluctant to share.

"Well, Kari...we watched a movie and fell asleep on the couch. That's it. We didn't kiss or anything major like that."

"You _fell asleep_?"

Yolei rolled her eyes and sighed. "Yes, we did."

"Together?"

"Yeah. I'll be in my room until dinner, okay?"

Kari nodded. "Thinking of Ken."

Yolei just sweatdropped and headed for her room. Of course, once there, Hawkmon had his chewing-out prepared.

"Yolei, my dear, what was that all about?"

"What was what about?"

"Yolei, you should know what! When I woke up, I found you all tangled up around...him."

Yolei rolled her eyes again. "Hawkmon, we fell asleep."

"Closely!"

"We're dating. That kind of thing happens a lot on dates. We didn't even kiss."

"You didn't?"

"No. We did not."

"Well, that makes me feel better. But, still..."

She smiled at his bullheadedness. "I promise I won't do anything stupid."

"I'll hold you to that."

She smiled. "Please do."

* * *

After dinner, Cody knocked on Yolei's door. "Hello?" she asked.

"It's Cody."

"Come on in. It's not locked."

He did so and sat on the couch. He looked at her over the half-wall between the kitchen and living room. She was sitting on the counter. "We haven't talked in a while."

She half-smiled. "That's not entirely my fault. I think between falling in love and having our digimon back..." she sighed. "But I'm glad you noticed. What do you want to talk about?"

"About your falling in love. What's going on?"

She blinked at him. "Huh?"

"How serious is it? What's going to happen? How long is it going to be before you marry him and move up there?"

She blinked again, surprised he would think so far ahead. _She_ hadn't even thought that far ahead. "Cody, the practical question is 'When is he going to give up the throne?,' because I would never marry him unless he did. With any luck, seeing me die of a broken heart due to being apart from him will influence him to do so, if nothing else does before then."

He cocked an eyebrow. "So you'll be here for a while?"

She smiled. "Yes, of course."

"Good. Hey, how about a game of chess? We haven't done that in a long time, either..."


	10. Chapter 10

The next day, when they got to his "living room", Ken had Yolei sit down and he sat across from her. Again he took off the cape. Whether it was a comfort thing for him, or whether he knew it made him seem more attractive, Yolei couldn't be sure.

"So...yesterday," he tried.

"Yeah."

"I have to tell you, but you don't want to hear it."

"You think that you care about me?" she asked, looking at him over the top of her glasses.

"I _know_ I _care_ about you. I _think_ that I...you said you don't want to hear it."

"The...'L word'?" she whispered.

They had both acknowledged it in their own minds, Ken had more or less told Wormmon, Yolei had told Kari, and Hawkmon, and Cody, and T.K.. She was pretty sure Kari had told Davis, and that everyone had explained it to their own digimon. So everyone knew it. They just hadn't admitted it to each other, even though they both desperately wanted to, and to hear it from the other.

He nodded. "This is torture. I want to say it."

"Then _say_ it," she said. "Say it and we'll go from there."

"Yolei, I love you." The admission felt so good, but then came the part where it killed him. She was going to tell him that it wasn't meant to be, that they needed to both go their own ways.

She looked away. "Ken...this is hard...things are going to get really complicated if we both admit it...but I'm willing to try. Ken, I love you, too."

He sat, shocked. _She does?_ He'd thought that she didn't want to hear it because she didn't feel it. At the same time, he could feel the happiness welling up within him, and it was a completely new sensation for him. He'd never been truly happy until then.

He blinked. "You do?"

She looked up, halfway to throwing herself into his arms. "Yes, I do! Now, the others are going to hate me, and I'll never hear the end of it, and life is going to be just one big heartache, but I do love you!"

He reached out and tentatively put a hand on her shoulder. She put her own hand over it and laid her head on it. Her eyes were closed. Oh, no...not that...yes, she was going to...

She started crying. "Ken..."

 _Oh great, now what? Do I comfort her? Let her get it out of her system? What?_ He debated for a few split seconds, and finally reached his other hand to her other shoulder and scooted a bit closer. She collapsed into his arms, grabbing hold of his shoulders. He drew her close as she laid her head on his chest. He took his glasses off and laid them aside, then let his arms drop and clasped them around her waist. He laid his head on top of hers. Suddenly, her pain was his. He felt exactly what she felt. He knew what she had to deal with, both inwardly and outwardly, just because he had captured her heart, and he hurt for her. He felt tears well up in his own eyes. What _was_ this feeling?

"Ken...it's not fair..."

"What isn't?" he choked.

"I'm sure in another dimension...you're not the bad guy...and we're in love, not pinned down by what other people think..."

He smiled. He kissed the top of her head. "Yolei, I don't care what they think. I still love you." He was again amazed at how soft her hair was against his cheek.

Yolei clung to him. "You're all I have now...the others will hate me for having told you...even Hawkmon will be upset..."

"Then why go back?" he asked.

She opened her eyes. "What? I have to go back! They'll worry."

 _"They'll worry." Not, "Where would I stay?" or "Stay here? In this room? With you?" but "They'll worry."_ "Yolei, I think if they'll worry, it means they care about you enough that they won't hate you. You've lasted this far and they all still like you."

She hadn't thought of it that way. "Well, yeah, I guess."

She didn't want to let go of him any more than he wanted to let go of her, so neither one moved for a minute. She was surprised to feel something wet on the top of her head.

"Ken?"

"Yes?"

"Are you...crying?"

"Yolei, you're right...it isn't fair. You shouldn't have to go through any pain just because you love me. By all rights you shouldn't love me. I should be the one suffering because of what I feel, and you shouldn't even know. But you feel it, too...Yolei, how did we do this to ourselves?"

She didn't know what to say. Should she press her luck? Would it even be pressing in his current state? "Ken...I wouldn't be going through anything if you weren't the Kaiser."

He blinked. He should have known she'd say something. Oddly enough, it never crossed his mind that she didn't love him, and that she might just be manipulating him. He knew she would never do that. As much as she longed to be free, she'd never play around with a heart like that. "Yolei...I can't just give up everything I've worked for."

"It's not the work...it's your pride."

He frowned. _That hurt._ But he knew it only hurt because it was true.

"Yolei..."

"I told you from the start that things could only go so far unless you gave up being the Kaiser." She pulled away from him, hard as he tried to hold her. "And it's gone too far." She wiped her eyes and stood. "I want to go back to the others."

He stood. "Yolei, please understand that I--"

"Ken!" she stopped him effectively before saying her piece. "I can never bring myself to understand why you enjoy controlling nearly every living being in the world. I can never bring myself to understand why you ever decided that you wanted to do this. I can never bring myself to understand how you thought that you had the right to build up an empire on the blood, sweat, and tears of countless thousands of Digimon slaves!" She whirled away so she didn't have to look at him, placing a finger on the nosepiece of her glasses.

He put his hands on her shoulders from behind, grasping a little rougher than was necessary in his moment of anger. "And I don't think I'll ever understand why it's such a big deal to you. They're just data." He relaxed his grip. He knew better than to have grabbed her like that.

She opened her eyes wide. _Could it be that he doesn't_ know _?_ "Ken, digimon are real! Just like any animals in the real world. Just like us!"

He pulled backwards. He gasped quickly, but soon regained his composure. _What is she thinking?_ "Do you really want to go back now?"

She bit her lip. "No. But I think we'd both be better off if I did."

He sighed. "Come on, then." He took her arm and they started the walk back.

When they got there, he opened the door, but before he let her go, he turned her to face him. "Yolei, please know...no matter what happens...I _do_ really love you. Really." He stroked a strand of hair back into place behind her ear. She reached up and grabbed his wrist, and closed her eyes, leaning her head against his hand.

"I know you do. But I think we both need time to think."

He drew her close and kissed her on the top of her head again. It was almost as if kissing her on the lips was off-limits, even though he knew she'd let him if he tried it. Then he let her go and pushed the door closed behind her.

 _What have I done?_ he thought.

* * *

Ken went to bed early that night. He wasn't tired, and he wasn't out of things to do, but he needed a decent pretense to talk to Wormmon.

"Wormmon, I told her I love her, and do you know what?"

The small, green digimon shook his head.

"She loves me, too."

Wormmon's eyes widened. "Wow..."

"But, damn it, Wormmon, it hurts so bad. She says that nothing else can happen unless I give up being Kaiser."

"So why don't you--"

"Not you, too."

Wormmon kept his mouth shut.

Ken sighed. "I love her, damn it! Why can't she just accept me for who I am?"

"She loves the kind part of you."

Ken rolled over onto his stomach and buried his face into his pillow in irritation. He should have known he'd get something like that from Wormmon.

"Why can't you be kind all the time, like now? It's like Jekyll and Hyde."

Ken lifted his head out of his pillow so Wormmon could hear him. "And you think the Kaiser is Hyde?"

Wormmon didn't answer for a minute. "If I said that the nice part of you is Jekyll, would that be close enough?"

"Yes." Ken buried his face again momentarily, but lifted it with a thought that chilled him. "Wormmon, have you ever actually _read_ 'Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde'?"

"No. Why, Master?"

"I have. At the end of the book, Jekyll ended up turning into Hyde completely, and then Hyde died. He committed suicide."

This unsettled Wormmon. Ken could feel the small creature tense next to him. "Master..."

"I know. I'm tired. I'm going to sleep."

"Good night, Master." Wormmon laid next to Ken protectively, and for a fleeting minute, Ken thought he knew how it felt to truly be partners with one's digimon.

It didn't even cross his mind that it was a weak thought.

He didn't think like that anymore.

He still acted much the same outwardly, except when Yolei brought down his guard, but his thought patterns had completely changed.

Not that he was any less of a genius. Smarts don't just pack up and walk away. But the way he saw things had changed.

At first, he had seen only outward beauty and a bit of spunk in Yolei. But now, she was so much more in his eyes. And it wasn't _just_ that she cared about him, that she made him feel loved. It was that she made him feel loved in spite of his shortcomings. And, yes, she had made him realize that he _had_ shortcomings.

Inside, he was a completely different Ken.

And this completely different Ken had one last question for Wormmon.

"Wormmon? If I went back to the real world and deleted all the Digital World files off of my computer, and any other computer that might have them, would it still exist?"

"Of course it would, Master. That's a silly question."

In that moment, Ken came to a new understanding.

_Yolei was right..._

* * *

The next morning, Yolei woke to Hawkmon's soft snores.

 _Nothing's changed..._ she thought. _At least, not with him._

She didn't feel like getting out of bed, so she didn't, but at the same time, she couldn't sleep for the sound of the thoughts running through her head. _I'm in love. I love and am loved. So why does everything seem so crappy?_ She sighed. Something big was going to happen, that was why. She could sense it. _But what?_

* * *

Lunchtime came, and Yolei waited patiently. She wasn't sure if she was ready to see him, but she knew she was going to.

Right?

The minutes ticked past, and Ken never darkened the doorway. Yolei sat until half-past noon and then went in and ate half of a cold lunch.

Where was he?

_He promised never to miss a day!_

It wasn't like she had asked for the promise, so she wasn't sure why it upset her so much.

Hawkmon saw what it was doing to her, and tried to be a comfort. "Yolei, my dear, he might have had some emergency."

She nodded, but she didn't feel any better.

* * *

Ken sat silently in his chair in the Control Room. He had a plate of food in front of him, but he had yet to take a bite. He'd pushed it around but he wasn't hungry.

 _This sucks._ It was about the only thought he could formulate at that point.

"Master?"

"Yes, Wormmon?"

 _Ken sounds tired._ "Aren't you going to eat?"

"I miss Yolei."

"Then go eat with her."

"I can't. She hates me."

Wormmon blinked. What was wrong with his master? "She just told you yesterday that she loves you."

Ken sighed. "She also said that nothing could come of it unless I gave up being the Kaiser. And, well...look at me."

Anyone else would have seen a jumpsuit, glasses, and a cape. But Wormmon knew the circumstances, and therefore he saw what others wouldn't. A jumpsuit that was far bigger than it should have been, or a person far too small. Dark glasses to mask a pair of eyes that bared a hurting soul. A cape to intimidate, and scare away anyone who wanted to get close. But none of it had worked on Yolei. Truthfully, it might have worked on most people at one time, but anyone who saw him now would laugh.

And Wormmon knew what was wrong. _He's heartbroken._ "Ken, you need her. You're getting sick, and it's only been one day."

"I know. I need her here. I want to her to always be here with me."

"I want you to be happy."

"But I never will be without her!"

"Then go get her!" Wormmon blinked at his own forcefulness. He never gave direct orders to Ken. He always suggested with a "Maybe you should..."

Ken blinked as well. "I will let that slide this time, but if you ever speak to me with such insolence again, I will be forced to get my whip." Get his whip. He hadn't worn it in weeks, and it was an empty threat. Ken had come to see even Wormmon in a new light, and longed to hug him and apologize and start treating him like a real Digipartner. It was mostly image and pride that kept him from doing so.

Wormmon nodded. "Yes, Master. What I meant was, it might be better for your health _if_ you went and got her."

"I'm sure you did. What do you suggest I do?"

"Well...you could...marry her."

Ken blinked, dropping his fork. "Are you kidding me?"

"No, Master."

 _Of course. She would come stay here and we would always be together, and...well, no, not always together. But most of the time. All the time I didn't have to be in here. And..._ His mind was going ninety miles an hour. _But would she agree?_ He sighed. _Of course not...well...it's worth a try._

"Wormmon, call the Floramon. They have some sewing to do."

* * *

The next morning, Yolei was sitting alone, on the couch in the main room. Hawkmon was with the others, who were watching yet another video game tournament. Something about Kari and Cody's final showdown. She had wanted to take her mind off of Ken, so she had borrowed one of T.K.'s many books (he had but to simply ask the digimon slaves for a certain book and he got it within a day or two--as a result, there were very few dating from after when they had been imprisoned) and was reading. She had finally become engrossed enough that she had quit thinking about her own problems, and there was a rattle at the main door.

She sighed. _Figures._ She laid the book down, spine up, open to her page, and turned and looked. Two Pagumon had come.

"Hello..."

"We are here to get you. The Kaiser wishes to see you," the closer one said.

Tears welled up in her eyes. Ken had not tried to forget about her after all! "I'm coming!" She got up and left, following the Pagumon, without telling anyone where she was headed. She figured that they could figure it out.

* * *

Ken smiled as the door to the Control Room opened. It was his Yolei!

She glanced about until her gaze settled on him. He'd turned his chair to face the door.

She ran for him, taking his hands in her own. "Ken! You..." she blinked. "What? Didn't you sleep last night? You look..."

"I know. I was missing you." He stood, and pulled his hands from hers to put them on her shoulders.

She ran the back of her hand over his cheek. "Missing...me?"

"Yes." He glanced over her shoulder. "Pagumon, you're dismissed, and lock the door behind you on your way out. I want privacy."

Yolei blinked as the Pagumon left. "Uh, why?"

"Because, I had you come up here for a special reason. I want to ask you something."

"Shoot." She might not have said something so casual if she had known what he was going to ask.

He smiled, and kissed the top of her head. He did not pull away as he started to talk. "Yolei, I know this is going to be hard for you to answer. It's hard for me to ask. But, I think the time has come where it's going to have to be all or nothing."

She blinked. _Oh...my...word..._ She knew that it _could_ have been many things, but she was pretty sure which one it was. _I can't believe this. He's worn down my resolve. I thought that not letting him love me would weaken him...but it didn't work that way. But I know what the answer is, I can't lie. I can't believe I let myself do any of this. But now...I can't...stop it..._

He pulled back now, to look her full in the face. "I love you, Yolei, with all my heart. I know my heart may not seem that big at times, but I'm giving you all I've got. Please, would you--could you find it in your heart to--I know I'm not worth it, but can you love me enough do me the honor of becoming my wife?"

"Whaa--aa--at?" Her voice cracked. Even though she'd had a few seconds to prepare herself to hear it, she was still swept off her feet and on the verge of tears and floating on cloud nine and...

"Yolei, will you marry me?"

She started crying. "Ken...oh dear...I've dreamed of this moment a thousand times...in a thousand different ways...but I never thought I'd cry..."

"Yolei..." _Damn it. Here it goes. She's crying because she has to say no, no matter how much we love each other._

She had to do it. _Things are all wrong...but they might turn out right yet...I have to say what I feel...and I feel that_ using _him to get us free is wrong...and I really do love him..._ "Ken...yes, oh heavens, yes!" She threw her arms around his neck, and he hugged her around her waist. He was too stunned to do much else. She was still crying, but they were happy tears.

"Yes? As in...you will? You really mean... _yes_?!?" he stuttered joyfully.

"Yes! Yes, I do!"

"You love me so much you're willing to put up with it all...with everything...?"

"You're the genius, how hard can it be for you to figure out one simple word? Yes! Yes, I love you! Yes, I want to marry you! Yes, I want to be your wife! Yes, it's true, I don't care what the others think!"

"I love you!" He hugged her tightly and started dancing a wacky waltz with her in his arms. She just laughed in delight.

Suddenly, she tried to stop, holding him tightly so he'd quit. "Ken!"

He stopped. "What?"

"When?"

"When what?"

"When are we going to get married?"

He laughed like a person does when they're trying to hide something. "Eheh...well...how does tomorrow work?"

"Tomorrow?" she squeaked.

"Yeah, as in, twenty-four hours from now, give or take."

"But...oh, hell with it. That sounds wonderful. I'll leave Hawkmon down with the others for a few days and we can call that a honeymoon."

He laughed. The honeymoon had definitely crossed his mind. Kaiser or no, he was still a guy, and guys were guys. "Great. And then after that, he can come up here to stay."

"What about my stuff?"

"If you want to know the truth, I already have some Floramon working on new clothes and a wedding gown for you. You can get your stuff and tell all the others after the wedding."

"After the wedding?"

"Well, do you honestly think they'll let you go through with it if they know? You'll have to keep it a secret. Just tonight."

She sighed. "You're right. I won't tell them."

"It's not that I don't want you to share your good news, I'm just afraid that if you do, it could jeopardize it...and I couldn't deal with losing you." He pulled her close again and kissed the top of her head. "I'll send the Pagumon for you tomorrow evening, after dinner?"

"That late?"

"Well, we don't have anyone to invite to a celebration. After the wedding, there won't really be anything to stop us from starting right on that honeymoon, so I thought the evening would be better."

She nodded. "After dinner. I won't tell a soul. Not even Hawkmon--wait, when they come, can I leave a note? I'll hide it where they won't see it until they look for it, and they won't look until it starts getting late."

"All right. I don't want them charging the digimon that bring them dinner to come get you. Bring whatever you might need besides clothes, but pack light. Don't bring suspicion on yourself."

She nodded. "I better head back. No one knows I left. If I hurry, they might not ever know I was gone."

He nodded, opened the door, and entrusted her to the Pagumon. "Tomorrow."

"Tomorrow."

* * *

Yolei peeked her head into the living room.

All clear. _Yes!_

She went into the room, and the Pagumon closed the door behind her. She sat back at the couch, and resumed her book, trying not to smile and give herself away.

Of course, there was still the possibility that they were all in one room, worried sick. Or maybe they thought she had gone into her room to cry--there had been no struggle, and there were no signs that there had been. It didn't seem like she had been missed, but she wasn't sure yet.

Until Kari came out of Cody's suite. "I just beat Cody to the sixth level!" she announced. "Come on, come watch me cream him all the way to the eighth."

Yolei looked up with a serious face, and half-smiled. Not too big. She had to keep her secret. "Well, okay...it might take my mind off Ken."

Kari smacked her forehead down onto her hand.

* * *

That night, Hawkmon couldn't sleep. Something wasn't right.

Yolei was sleeping peacefully enough. That was the problem.

Not that he didn't want her to sleep and have sweet dreams. It was just, usually, when she was upset--which he knew she was--she woke up often, crying out a word pertaining to whatever was bothering her. She should be waking up calling Ken's name--not that Hawkmon liked that in itself--but she slept soundly, rolling over once in a while, murmuring things he couldn't understand. Typical-Yolei behavior. Not Upset-Yolei behavior.

But what could have happened? She had not resolved within herself to forget about Ken. She would have told him. She had not spoken to Ken, or gotten any communication from him.

Or had she? She'd been alone a lot that morning...but no, she would have been happy. She would have told them all. She would have giggled over it with Kari.

What was it, then?


	11. Chapter 11

Yolei managed to keep herself acting just unhappy enough to convince everyone. No one suspected. At lunch--supposedly the third one where she had not seen Ken--she had to act a little more "down", but she pulled it off. After lunch, everyone again crowded into Cody's bedroom behind his video game to continue the tournament. Apparently T.K. had challenged "the winner"--Kari--and Davis challenged the next winner--who was yet to be determined.

Yolei slipped into her room, alone. She wrote the note and tucked it down in her shirt until it was time to go. She stuffed some--aheh--feminine things, into a small purse that she could keep out of the line of vision as she left the room and hid it under the bed.

Now, just to while away the time.

She finished the book T.K. had loaned her. She caught the last hour of the tournament. She straightened up her suite. Dinner came and went.

Finally, the time came. Yolei was alone in her room, since she had told Hawkmon that she needed time alone and he had gone out to watch a movie with everyone else.

The two Pagumon came to the main door, and Kari came and told Yolei through the door to her suite.

 _Yes!_ she thought, slipping the note under her pillow. Hawkmon would look there, she knew, as soon as it was so late they worried. He knew she had a habit of hiding important things under her pillow. She held the purse in her hand so that it would not be seen by those on the couch.

Kari was waiting outside her door, fortunately in the same direction away from her as the guys, who were sprawled over the couch.

"Are you sure you want to see him?"

Yolei sighed. "Maybe he's going to apologize for the vanishing act."

Kari just shook her head. "Be sure you know what you want. Do you want him to go on doing things and apologizing all your life, or do you want to be free?"

"If he sets a pattern like that, I'll reevaluate, I promise. Now, please, Kari...I really am desperate to see him..."

"Well...okay..." Kari sighed. "Be careful." She went back over to Davis's lap.

Yolei quickly went through the door. The last thing she heard from inside the room before the lock clicked was Hawkmon's appeal of, "Hurry back, my dear!"

She winced.

* * *

Ken surveyed himself in the huge bathroom mirror. Black jumpsuit, no glasses, same cape, same hair. Yes. Perfect.

He had not seen Yolei's wedding gown. He had told the Floramon what she might like, but he had no clue if she _would_ like it.

As a matter of fact, he had given the Pagumon orders to take her to another room to change, since he did not want to see her before the ceremony--which would be performed by the same Elecmon who had done Davis and Kari's.

He sighed. He had gone completely soft. There was little Kaiser left in him, and what was left was there because of his foolish pride, because he so desperately wanted to keep his "image."

His...heartless image.

 _I know I have a heart. It's growing bigger by the minute, expanding to surround my love for Yolei. So_ why _do I want to keep that image?_

He pushed the thoughts aside as Wormmon came into the room. "Master..."

"What?"

"Are you ready?"

"Yes."

"Yolei is changing clothes right now. She said that the dress is perfect, and she said to leave this here." Wormmon placed a small purse that was apparently Yolei's things on the countertop. She'd listened and packed light. "She said that it's mostly just girl stuff."

Ken raised an eyebrow. He was pretty sure he knew what that meant, and as such, dared not touch it. "How long before she's ready?"

"About ten minutes. You better get out there."

"Did you ask her if she minded getting married in the living room?"

"She said that she was glad because she'd been afraid it was going to be the Control Room."

Ken frowned thinking of the vast Control room with its walls so dark it was hard to tell there were walls. He spent entirely too much of his time there, but not by choice. "I think not. Anyway, I'm headed out there."

* * *

Yolei was not sure what room she was in, other than that it was connected to the Control Room and from there she would be able to go through a door to her waiting Ken. A few Floramon were in there helping her get ready. There was a wide, full-length mirror, and she was putting it to good use.

The dress fit perfectly. The skirt was long, and full, and the entire dress was strewn in seed pearls sewn on by hand in small flower patterns. The waistline was dropped three or four inches, accentuating her height. She liked that. The neckline was higher than she'd been expecting, considering it was Ken who had given the Floramon their instructions, but it still looked pretty good, going straight across just below her collarbone. She turned before the mirror to reveal the back of the dress. Her shoulder blades showed, but that didn't bother her. She loved the way the white satin looked on her. For one of the few times in her life, Yolei felt really beautiful. Of course, she had felt pretty, every girl does at some time or another, if not all the time, but there were only a few times that she'd really felt knock-'em-dead _beautiful. Wow...how he knew what I would like is beyond me...but I love this dress!_

The top part of her hair had been pulled up into a ponytail to give them something to fasten the veil to, but other than that little bit, it hung free like usual. She liked the effect.

Finally, the door cracked open, and Wormmon poked his head through. "Can I look?"

She laughed, seeing his eyes were closed. "Yeah. Is it time?" she asked, barely able to keep her excitement in check.

He opened his eyes and stared. "You look beautiful. Master will like it. Umm...yes, it's time! Follow me."

She stood, gathering up her skirt so it wouldn't drag, and followed him out the door. _Yuck. Control Room._ Across the dark room, and over to another door, and then...

Wormmon opened the door and she peeked around. "Ken?"

"Yolei."

He was standing there waiting. There was an Elecmon behind him, and they were waiting for her.

And she was ready...

* * *

Kari came out into the living room. Davis was curled up in a corner of the couch watching a movie, with Veemon snuggled next to him. Gatomon was asleep on their own couch.

She came and watched silently from behind the couch for a few minutes. It looked interesting enough.

She sat down on the other side of Veemon and sighed.

"What is it, Kari-chan?" Davis asked. He sat up despite the fact that Veemon was asleep. Veemon didn't stir. "What's the matter?"

She shook her head. "I'm worried about Yolei. One minute he won't even speak to her, the next he invites her up there and she stays for, what has it been? Half-an-hour at least."

"I wouldn't worry. Relax. Watch this movie with me. Trade places with Veemon."

She smiled, disheartened. "Well, okay." She picked Veemon up and laid him carefully at the other end of the couch. The blue digimon sighed in his sleep, muttered Gatomon's name, and fell back into his trance. Kari slid over into Davis's arms and sat quietly. "I just feel like something is wrong."

"It's nothing to worry over," Davis tried to reassure her, trying to keep the tenseness out of his voice. _Yet._

* * *

The ceremony was over, and Ken had whisked Yolei off to the bedroom rather quickly after dismissing the Elecmon.

Now she sat on the edge of the bed, waiting for him. He had wanted to take a shower. Why he hadn't done that before, she was not sure, but whatever. She was too happy to care.

She liked his room. Apparently, blue and black were his favorite colors. The soft carpet was dark gray, the bedframe was black, the comforter, black chenille, the sheets, midnight blue silk. Far nicer than anything Yolei had ever had.

The lighting was turned down low, and dark blue candles burned on both nightstands. The sheets had been turned down, and sakura petals had been scattered over them. The pale blush-pink was a sharp contrast to all the darkness in the room, and she liked the effect.

And in a few minutes, Ken would be back, and they would have their first night of wedded bliss. Yolei was looking forward to it and scared of it at the same time. She smiled, thinking of her Ken. He seemed almost afraid of her. Even at the end of the ceremony, when he was told to kiss her, he had kissed the top of her head. She wasn't upset, because it was just...so... _him_. She'd always remember it.

* * *

Kari frowned. The movie was over. Yolei was not back. She went to the door of Yolei's suite and knocked. Hawkmon answered it sleepily. "Oh. Kari. What do you want?"

"Did Yolei say when she'd be back?"

"No, I know as much as you do, but I _am_ starting to worry a bit..."

"You guys," Davis said from the couch, "I'm sure she's fine."

* * *

Finally, the door from the bathroom cracked open.

Yolei blinked at Ken, the surprise evident on her face. "Ken?"

He laughed half-heartedly, leaning against the doorjamb. He was in the gray pajamas, his hair calmed down once again. Yes. He was not the Digimon Kaiser. He enjoyed the look on her face. "Surprise," he said, softly.

"I _am_ surprised...but...not disappointed."

He smiled and came over, sitting close, next to her. He was ready for this. "I love you, Yolei."

She blushed and looked down at her lap. "I love you too...I don't love what you've done, but I do love you."

He sighed. "Yolei, I've made a decision."

She looked up. "What's that?"

He grinned halfway. He almost never smiled fully, and Yolei thought it made him all the cuter. "Well, Yolei, you've opened my eyes. I've been doing a lot of thinking ever since the day I--I smacked you with my whip--I can't believe I would ever do that--"

She smiled. "It's okay. You've changed. I've forgiven you."

"Thanks." He paused. "And I see it now. The Digital World is not some game for my amusement. Starting tomorrow morning, you and your friends are completely free to roam the base. We're all going to make plans to disband the Empire. Get the Digimon recruited to help undo what I've done and then settled back into their own lives. I'm relinquishing control. And what's more, I'm going to see what I can do about setting things up to prevent anybody like...like me, from taking over again. I was going to surprise you in the morning, but I think it's best that we get started off on the right foot."

She stared in shock, plain and simple. Pure, unadulterated shock.

"Ken...I have waited forever to hear you say those words." She did not blush.

"And it feels so good to tell you...I feel more like Ken than I have in a long time. And to Hell with the Kaiser!"

She laughed, and he laughed right along with her.

And then he took her shoulder in his hand, pulled her close, and kissed the top of her head. She felt his arms encircle her waist, and she slipped her own arms around his neck. She was about to be kissed on the lips for the first time in her life--and so much more than that. Thinking back over her life, at fifteen she never would have dreamed that she would be married and on her honeymoon bed before getting her first real kiss.

She felt his forehead touch hers, and their noses barely touch. And just as she felt the brush of his lips barely touch hers, things went badly wrong.

A purring, teasing woman's voice could be heard from the foot of the bed. "About to enjoy ourselves, are we?"

Ken jerked away from Yolei and looked toward where it had come from.

And they both stared at a tall woman in odd clothes. The first thing you noticed about her was that she had purple sunglasses over her eyes, the high collar of her red coat covered the lower half of her face, and her weird red hat was pulled down so that it bumped her sunglasses. The second thing you noticed was her paleness. Her skin was beyond milky-white. She looked like she had never seen the sun; or like she had dusted herself in baby powder. Her hair was white with a pale blue tint, like an old woman's, but her figure betrayed her. Going by that, she seemed to be a curvaceous woman in her early thirties.

"Who are you and what the hell do you want?" Ken asked, immediately defensive, knowing nothing about this intruder. "If you don't mind..."

"Oh, but I do. I thought maybe you were leading the girl on, but no. I see now that you really do love her. If I let things go on, all my plans would crumble before me. So now we have to rearrange the process to accommodate the technicalities. Not a problem."

Yolei shrunk up, scared out of her wits, not able to think. How could she have been so happy mere seconds before? She grabbed Ken's shoulders from behind and clung, tightly. Her fingernails were digging into him.

"Who the hell are you, bakayaro?" Ken repeated.

"You'll soon find out. _You're_ coming with me." The woman snapped her fingers, and she vanished.

Ken screamed in pain, making Yolei scream in fright, and she tried to put her arms around his waist, but in that second, he vanished, and her arms came right back at her.

She looked around in terrorized confusion. "Nande kuso? Kami! Kami, Kami, KamiKamiKami!" She started crying in loud sobs. Finally she shook her head and headed for the door. "Wormmon!"

* * *

Kari, Davis, and Hawkmon were still debating what to do when, suddenly, Hawkmon shook his head. "Itai!"

"What is it?" Kari asked as his eyes squinted shut, seemingly in pain.

As quickly as it had come, it was over, and he blinked. "Something's wrong. Something bad has happened and she didn't like it one bit. She screamed, she's confused...we have to find her! See if she left any clues!" He ran into her suite, and Kari and Davis followed close behind. They were confused when he headed for her bed and shoved the pillow aside. "Goal!" he cried, remembering the old word from Davis's soccer games. He held up a piece of paper.

Kari scrambled for it, and quickly scanned the penciled lines. "It's her handwriting," she said. "Come on, I think we need to get the others."

Within minutes, all four of the present DigiDestined, their digimon, and Hawkmon were assembled in the main room, and Kari read the note aloud.

"Guys--I know that it won't take Hawkmon long to find this. Sorry I had to pull the vanishing act like that, but once I explain why I went, you'll understand that if I had told you, I'd still be there with you. Ken..." --Kari gasped-- "Ken asked me to marry him. By the time you find this, we'll probably already be husband and wife. I'll be back in a few days with Ken. I'll miss you all in the meantime. Hawkmon--I'm sorry I couldn't even tell you, but I hope you understand. Cody--I know you don't like Ken, but I am completely, hopelessly fallen in true love and I know that he's the one. See you all soon, soon-to-be-Ichijouji Yolei." Kari bit her lip.

"Are we just going stand idly by and let this go on?" Davis cried.

"I'd like to see you suggest something plausible," Cody said. "There isn't anything we can do until breakfast tomorrow at the earliest. Then we could jump the guard or something."

T.K. nodded. "But...the thing is...by tomorrow morning...they'll have already...you know... _consummated_ the marriage...and then they can't revoke it..."

At this point, all the humans were blushing quite red.

"What's he talkin' about?" Armadillomon asked Cody, making Cody turn roughly the color of a stop sign.

"Later. I will explain that _later_ ," Cody said abruptly, not wanting to delve into the workings of the human body.

"So what do we do?" Davis asked, breaking the tense silence.

Kari looked down and sighed. "Guys," she said, catching all their attention. "I don't think any of you realize that she honestly does love him. Now how or why I don't even claim to understand, but I do know that she probably doesn't _want_ to break up this marriage. It's what she wants. Now, I agree, we should try and make Ken good, but we should not in any way try to hurt him, or break them up. It would crush her."

T.K., Cody, and Davis exchanged looks.

"Promise me, guys?" she begged. "Davis?" Her lower lip trembled.

Davis groaned inwardly. _Aww man, she knows I can't resist..._ "I promise," he said.

T.K. nodded. _If a guy can't trust his best friend, who can he trust?_ "I promise, too."

Cody frowned. _How can they do this? Promise not to hurt the Digimon Kaiser!_

Kari looked at him with tear-filled eyes. "Cody...please promise me...if not for me, then promise me on Yolei's behalf..."

Oh. That was how. "I promise," he said, unsure of it even as he said it, but determined not to break his promise.

* * *

Wormmon had been half-asleep on the couch, but her high-pitched cry for his help brought him to consciousness. "What is it, Yolei-sama?"

She frowned. _Sama?_ Probably something Ken had ordered him to call her. She'd ask later. There wasn't time to care. "Ken's vanished!"

"What?!"

"This funky lady appeared out of nowhere and disappeared back into it, and she took Ken with her! She said something about plans crumbling and rearranging processes and I don't know what she meant!" Yolei fell to the floor, still in the beautiful gown that represented her rite of passage into happiness. Sobs shook her body hard. She could barely breathe for the tears.

Wormmon crawled over and placed his head in her lap comfortingly. "It's all right, Yolei-sama. We'll find him. First we have to get the others."

"Yes. Yes, we'll go get the others out of the prison. They'll help. Right? They'll believe me."

"Of course they will. And we'll go as soon as you get changed out of that dress." He backed out of her lap. "I think Master said that your new clothes are in the closet in there." He nodded towards the bedroom.

Yolei nodded and took off her glasses to wipe away enough tears so that she could see. She went into the room and set her glasses on the table to wipe them on whatever shirt she put on. The last thing she wanted to do if she could help it was spoil her wedding gown. Yolei pushed aside the sliding door and looked. Yes. She dug through the closet and found a pair of jeans and a sturdy button-front shirt. She didn't notice the color or anything, she just thought it would be prudent to choose something she could wear in battle.

"You might wanna turn around for this part," she told Wormmon as she reached behind for the zipper. He did so just in time to save himself some embarrassment. A minute or so passed. "Okay," she said. "I'm done. Come on," she stood to her feet. She got her glasses and wiped them off on her shirt, and quickly walked off toward the prison. "I hope you know how to unlock it."

"I can't do it because I don't have small fingers, but I can tell you how to do it..."

"Close enough. So long as we get the rest of them out of there."

* * *

The rest of the DigiDestined had just decided to go to sleep so they could get up early--in plenty of time to jump the guard--when there was a rattle in the lock.

Kari jerked her head toward it. "Oh no...it's Ken here to gloat, or Yolei running away, or something bad..."

The door pushed open, and it was indeed Yolei. She was in new clothes, and she'd been crying, but she had put on a brave face.

Hawkmon, Kari and Cody all ran and hugged her at once. "Yolei, what's happened?" Hawkmon cried.

"Yolei? That's Mrs. Ichijouji to you, buddy. But we have bigger things to worry about. Ken's disappeared!"

Davis blinked. "Why don't you come in, sit down, and explain?"

Yolei nodded. They dragged a footstool over to the door to hold it open, and she started doing just that.


	12. Chapter 12

Ken murmured, halfway between unconscious and awake. Someone was running their hand down his cheek. Of course, his first thought was that he'd been rescued. "Yolei...Yolei, I'm all right!"

"Sorry, cutie, but my name is Arukenimon, and I'm sorry to say that I am not the one you want."

He jerked away from the touch and opened his eyes. Yup. Same funky woman that had interrupted his honeymoon. "What do you want?"

"I want you to go back to the way you were. I liked the Kaiser very much. I had him whipped, too. You're much more difficult to control, Ken."

"How do you know my name and what do you want with me? And what are you talking about? Having the Kaiser whipped? That's insane!" he cried, finally becoming aware of his surroundings. He was strapped to the wall. It didn't feel so great.

"Why, Ken, I've been controlling you all this time. Did you honestly think that you came up with the idea of Control Spires and Dark Rings and things like that? You would never have thought to try and take over the Digital World--but it was easy to control you into doing my dirty work."

"Your dirty work?"

"All I ever needed in life were things to control. Through you, I controlled the entire Digital World. I made your decisions for you. As long as you were running the empire smoothly, I saw no need to shatter you and your ego and take over directly. But I knew about the girl. Why do you think I made sure that you avoided those DigiDestined prisoners for so long? But then you went and saw them, and..." Arukenimon waved a hand in the air to indicate disarray.

"And I realized that Yolei was the girl I was destined to love."

Arukenimon huffed. "Destined. Yes. You were destined to be one of the good guys. You should be grateful I got to you in time to prevent most of that."

Ken frowned. He had so many questions, and he had no idea how long he had to ask them. He decided that he should ask as many as he could while there was a chance. "What would have happened if you hadn't taken over me?"

"Oh, I don't know for sure. I think you would have met up with the original DigiDestined group. You and T.K. and Kari are all close in age, you probably would have been friends. Of course, the second group would still have been formed, because I would have found someone else to take over and have them do this. So you still would have met-- _her_."

"Why me?"

"Because you were so vulnerable after the death of Osamu it was pathetically easy. I avoid work where I can."

"So now what do you plan to do?"

Arukenimon sighed. "Unfortunately, sooner or later, I have to kill you. It's a shame. You're handsome. For a human, anyway. I might not have minded having a consort after I took over the Empire you've taken care of for me all this time."

"I'm taken," he spat bitterly. He was not just going to up and forget about Yolei, especially not for some bitchmon from hell.

"That too. I didn't think anything of it when I picked you, because you were so young, but you really did grow up to be a handsome devil. In your own world you probably would have been a lady-killer--but you don't care, do you? So long as you have that precious girl of yours. Shame, shame. At any rate, I have to get the rest of those DigiDestined out of the way. Shouldn't be a problem. Then I pick up where you left off, controlling the DigiWorld."

Ken grimaced, then smirked. "I was planning on peacefully disbanding the Empire and letting the Digital World return to its natural state."

Arukenimon laughed. It was a high-pitched laugh that made Ken wince. "You aren't as much of a genius as I thought. Those poor digimon are so used to being slaves, they probably couldn't survive on their own."

"So when can I expect to die?" Ken asked levelly. He had his answers, and he was certain that Arukenimon would not relay a message to Yolei or Wormmon, so he really didn't have any other final business.

"I'm not sure. Sometime after all the DigiDestined die before you, one by one. Your precious wife last, of course, and it'll be slow and agonizing."

"No! I swear, if you harm Yolei, it will give me the strength to kill you with my bare hands!"

"If you could come down off that wall," she said, making him angrier. "Now, I am tired of your questions. You're boring me. Sleep." She held out a hand, and Ken felt the wooziness wash over him, and he was out like a light.

* * *

"...and then I came down here to get you guys. I thought maybe you'd help me save him," Yolei finished, tears threatening in her eyes and playing tricks with her voice but refusing to stain her cheeks yet another time.

Kari looked around. "I don't know about the rest of you guys, I don't even know about you, Gatomon, but I'm in."

"If you're going, I'm going," Gatomon said. "Besides, if this is true about Ken wanting to disband the Empire, we have to save him, and he might be a big help to us later."

"Later?" Yolei blinked.

"Sure. If we get to come back and fight more evil Digimon."

"I'm coming, Yolei," Hawkmon reassured.

They went around the circle, and not one person or Digimon wanted to stay behind.

Yolei was on the verge of tears again, but it was Wormmon who stopped her. "Yolei-sama, save your crying for later, please. We need to get started. First we need to decide where to go."

"What do you suggest?"

"The Control Room."

* * *

Yolei, Hawkmon, and Wormmon were able to focus on where they were headed, but everyone else gawked at the rest of the base. It had been so long since they had seen anything outside their prison.

The first thing they did upon getting to the Control Room was step back and let Wormmon take over. He knew exactly what as going on.

"Okay, I'm putting everything on autopilot. We don't want to worry about the base crashing into mountains. Done! Now, to see if Ken is still in the base."

"Oh, Kami, I hope so," Yolei said, concerned. "Or even close by." A few minutes passed. "Well?"

"Well, I can't get a reading on him at all. He's not anywhere in the Digital World."

The five humans exchanged glances.

Davis lunged for Wormmon and grabbed him around what might have been his neck, had Wormmon technically had a neck. He started shaking him. "What the hell do you mean, 'He's not in the DigiWorld'?!"

"I can't find him!"

"Could someone have messed up the computers, or fixed them where we couldn't track him?" Cody asked somberly.

Yolei tilted her head. "Put Wormmon down, Davis. He's trying to help us, can't you see that?" She watched Davis carefully as he did what she asked. "Um, Cody, it's a possibility."

Kari shook her head. "No. I don't think so. I think that the computers are fine."

"What are you saying?" T.K. asked. He knew that the Crest of Light sometimes gave otherwise unretrieveable knowledge to its bearer, and he could tell by Kari's mood when it was happening.

"All I'm saying is this. He's not in the DigiWorld, and I don't think he's in our world."

Cody frowned deeply. "Then where?"

Kari bit her lip and looked down. The knowledge had stopped. It refused to tell her where. It always gave her just enough to tip her off as to which of her options was the right one--it never made her choices for her.

Everyone tried to think. Of course, if he wasn't on Earth and not in the DigiWorld, it _had_ to be some sort of alternate dimension, but where it was and how to get there presented problems. Yolei watched them carefully. "I don't care. I'm going to look everywhere I can get to until I find him, damn it!" The group all looked at her, admiring her determination.

"That's a nice sentiment, but I'm afraid it's completely unnecessary." The unknown voice was heavy and low.

"Kisama!" Yolei cried, turning to face it and point an accusatory finger. "You were the one!"

The woman in red stepped out of the shadows. "Yes, I take the credit. Don't kill me just yet, woman. I have him."

Yolei halted in her tracks. "...Ken?..." she breathed.

"Yes. Your precious Ken. I don't know what you see in him. He's so weak. His resolve to be strong and keep the Empire crumbled when you showed up. But then, maybe you like having him whipped. But anyway, that's why I'm taking over the Empire."

"Who are you, anyway?" T.K. challenged.

"Yeah, and why do you want the Empire?" Davis cried.

She smiled, her purple lips curling upwards. "I am... _Arukenimon_!" She opened up her coat and flung it aside, her body transforming. Her fingers melted into long legs, and extra legs hidden in the coat stood on the floor. Her ladylike appearance melted into an ugly, barely human form. She looked vaguely spider-like.

It dawned on Yolei. Arukeni. Arachne. Of course she would be like a spider.

And then something else dawned on her.

The digimon couldn't digivolve. They couldn't even use their attacks in their present form.

"Spider Thread!" Arukenimon yelled. Long, ugly strands of white hurtled out of her hand right toward Yolei. Yolei screamed, and ducked, but Arukenimon redirected the thread with a flick of her hand.

It was over. Yolei would never see her Ken again, they'd never disband the Empire, never settle down and have kids, never...

"Sticky Web!"

What? That was a new attack, but the voice was familiar. Yolei dared to open her eyes.

"Wormmon?" she cried.

Sure enough, he had counterattacked Arukenimon, wrapping up her threads in webbing of his own. He'd saved Yolei, erasing any questions the others might have had about his loyalty.

Yolei had very little time to think. She had to tell them what she'd realized and hope one of them got the drift. "Guys, we need to be able to attack! Wormmon can't hold her off forever!" She reached for Hawkmon, who was standing nearby, and ran for cover with him. She couldn't see what happened to the others, but heard Arukenimon and Wormmon trading attacks.

They hid in an inaccessible corner, and he blinked up at her.

"Quiet. Hopefully this won't hurt you."

He winced at that, but shut his eyes. She started hammering away at his Dark Spiral with her bare fists. When he realized what she was trying, he started to help. She took one end and bent it, cracking it off, and then he took the other end and did the same thing, and they worked toward the middle.

"Perfecto!" she cried. She was glad her old battle wits had not left her. "Go on, Hawkmon!"

Hawkmon leapt up and flew towards the battle between his new ally and newer enemy. Standing beside Wormmon, he took proper stance, and...

"Hawk Beam!"

"All right!" Yolei cried. "Guys, if you take the ends and bend them back, the Spirals break off pretty easily! Quick!"

Soon the two were joined by Patamon, Gatomon, Veemon, and Armadillomon.

Arukenimon growled. "I'll be back!" And at that, she vanished.

"Damn!" Yolei cried. "There went our chance to find him!"

"We don't know how long we have," Cody said. "Wormmon, where are our digivices and Digi-Armors? And D-Terminals? Where are they all?"

Wormmon led them to a wall safe in one of the corners of the Control Room. "I know they're in there, but I don't know the combi..."

"Vee Head Butt!"

The safe's door was smashed inward, revealing the equipment necessary for digivolving. The digimon started crying out the names of their different higher-digivolved forms. It was like finding a long-missing piece of a puzzle hidden between the cushions of a couch. The kids all dove for their own.

"We need to see if these still work!" Davis said. "Digi-Armor Energize!"

Veemon was unexpectedly drawn into the digivolving process, but six years had changed nothing. "Veemon Armor Digivolve to...Flamedramon! The Fire of Courage!"

"All riiiiight!"

Kari laughed at her husband's impishness. "You baka. He didn't need to digivolve right now."

"I think I did," Flamedramon corrected gently. "It's such an incredible feeling to be back in this body again, after I had resigned myself to just being Veemon forever."

The other digimon agreed with him, except for Wormmon. "I've never digivolved. I don't know how it feels."

Yolei bent down and hugged him. "But we love ya anyway. And, thanks for saving my life."

He blushed. "You--you're welcome."

"Now, what's next on the agenda? We have to find Ken, but where do we look?" Davis asked. The old feelings, the adrenaline rushes, the drive to win no matter what, were all returning, and he was ready to put up his dukes and fight! It was a new enemy, and an old enemy had turned ally, but who cared? He was ready for battle!

"We need to follow Arukenimon wherever she goes," Cody said. "She has Ken, so if we follow her to her world, we'll find Ken."

"Right, but we need a battle plan," T.K. said. "I say Flamedramon de-digivolves, and when she returns, we battle her with the rookies for a while, and then when we digivolve, she's totally off-guard. Element of surprise." It wasn't just Davis and Flamedramon who were remembering what it used to be like.

Davis nodded. "Sorry, bud, but he's right."

Flamedramon growled and crossed his arms. "This is totally not fair."

"Hey, after we spring the surprise, you can stay like that as long as you want. Now, hurry, de-digivolve before she gets back."

"Well...all right..." With much murmuring and muttering, Flamedramon let the power of his armor go back into the D-Terminal, and de-digivolved back to Veemon. "But I still say this is totally not fair."

Yolei smiled. "Thanks, Veemon."

He blushed. "Well, if you put it that way..." he said, scratching the back of his head.

Davis frowned. "Look, guys, there'll be time to be funny later. Arukenimon will be coming back, and we have to be ready."

Cody nodded. "We should hide, so we can have a double surprise."

"Right," T.K. said. "The more surprise, the better."

The five and their digimon quickly found hiding spaces in nooks and crannies around the Control Room, thanks to Wormmon. Wormmon hid himself, too. Now all they had to do was wait.

* * *

Ken felt himself coming to again. He tried to fight his way back into sleep. The reality was so weird that his odd, unconscious dreams made more sense at that point.

But it wasn't meant to be.

He woke to see Arukenimon staring at him.

"Oh. You're awake again. I saw your precious girl."

"You saw Yolei? You hurt her, didn't you? Something happened to her!" he strained against his bonds. They weren't as strong as he had thought, in fact, they seemed to be made of nothing more than leather.

"No. Unfortunately, she's fine. I'm very disappointed in myself. They managed to break those Spirals off their digimon and they were able to fight back. I have to regroup and come back stronger than ever."

Ken winced. It was a strategy he had used many a time as the Kaiser. Now he knew where it came from.

As the grogginess wore off again, thought started to formulate more clearly. _If they got rid of the Spirals, all they need are their digivices and Digi-Armors to digivolve! They can beat this bakayaro yet if Wormmon can crack the safe!_

"You're boring me again," Arukenimon informed him.

"I suppose that means it's back to sleep?" he asked, dryly.

Just as dryly, she raised a hand and he went back into oblivion.

* * *

The DigiDestined didn't have to wait long.

Arukenimon appeared in her "true" form in the center of the room and looked around. "Well, now, where are they? The sensors indicated that they were in the Control Room. They couldn't have left that fast!"

Davis looked down at Veemon, and whispered, "That's our cue!" Then he dared to raise his voice. "Everyone, _attaaaaack_!"

Everyone came out of hiding and attacks flew from every corner of the ring.

"Hawk Beam!"

"Vee Head Butt!"

"Lightning Paw!"

"Boom Bubble!"

"Diamond Shell!"

The attacks hit Arukenimon, and she faltered, but retaliated. "Spider Thread!"

"Sticky Web!" Wormmon cried. He might not be able to digivolve, and Ken might not be able to be there, but it didn't mean he couldn't fight for him, and for Yolei, too. Arukenimon seemed to be focusing her anger on Yolei, anyway, and in Wormmon's eyes, the situation made it where he would fight harder for Ken than at any other time.

The attack did its job well. Not only did it contain Arukenimon's attack, but it managed to hurt her a little, too.

" _Gah_!" It took her a minute to gather her wits.

"Wormmon is the only one that can hurt her now!" Davis cried. "So, everyone, digivolve! Digi-Armor Energize!"

"Veemon Armor Digivolve to...Flamedramon! The Fire of Courage!"

"Digi-Armor Energize!"

"Gatomon Armor Digivolve to...Nefertimon! The Angel of Light!"

"Digi-Armor Energize!"

"Patamon Armor Digivolve to...Pegasusmon! Flying Hope!"

"Digi-Armor Energize!"

"Armadillomon Armor Digivolve to...Digmon! The Drill of Knowledge!"

"Digi-Armor Energize!"

"Hawkmon Armor Digivolve to...Halsemon! The Wings of Love!"

The DigiDestined all stood proudly and looked at their digimon. "And again I say, all _riiiiight_!" Davis cried.

"Spider Thread!" Arukenimon tried, but she was surprised just like they'd planned and her attack didn't come out as strong as it could have.

"Fire Rocket!"

Davis had not expected the words to sound so good on his ear. It had been so long. "Yeah! Flamedramon, go! Get her! Get her!"

Arukenimon ducked, it missed, and she aimed her attack elsewhere. "Spider Thread!"

"Gold Rush!" Digmon tried to avoid the threads, but got caught despite his efforts. It didn't take Arukenimon more than two seconds to have him back to Upamon.

"Shimatta!" Cody let the mild cuss slip.

They battled fiercely for several minutes. Nefertimon was back to Gatomon, and Pegasusmon back to Patamon. Flamedramon and Halsemon were fighting her alone, but at the same time, she was weakening.

"I need reinforcements! Mummymon!"

A portal, seemingly made of light, appeared out of nowhere near T.K., Kari, and Cody, and a tall man in a dark blue coat stepped through. "At your service, dear," he said, sweetly to Arukenimon.

"Don't call me dear!"

Kari glanced at the two guys. "Come on, it might be our only chance!" She lifted Gatomon so that the digi-kitty was over her shoulder, and grabbed the other two's arms. She hauled, and the threesome slipped behind the new arrival and through the portal before it closed.

"Damn!" Arukenimon cried. "Mummymon, get those two!" She pointed toward Flamedramon and Halsemon.

Yolei wasn't too happy herself. Three of her friends had disappeared, and the odds weren't looking good.

The man was throwing off his coat just like Arukenimon had. There was--not surprisingly--a mummy-like digimon standing there, with a machine gun in hand.

"Kuso!" Davis said. "Not him, too!"

"She did call him Mummy _mon_ ," Yolei said. "Halsemon! Get over here!" Yolei picked up Wormmon, and when Halsemon got close enough, she jumped on his back and they took back to the air. Yolei had a feeling that things were coming down, and now would be a good time to get ready to run.

"Snake Bandage!" he cried, shooting towards Flamedramon.

Flamedramon was entangled in strand after strand of gauze. Mummymon had some sort of power similar to Arukenimon's that made him de-digivolve back to DemiVeemon. "Davis! Davis!"

Davis ran and snatched him up. Halsemon took off and did a loop around the room, coming back around toward Davis. Balancing Wormmon in her lap with one hand, Yolei held onto Halsemon with her legs and lifted Davis up onto her digimon behind her. He handed DemiVeemon to her and scrambled to get a grip himself.

"Halsemon, get us out of here!"

"Aye, aye, captain!" Halsemon cried, and with his four passengers he squeezed through the door and disappeared into the dark recesses of the rest of the base.


	13. Chapter 13

The threesome that had gone through Mummymon's portal stood up in a dark room.

"Anyone see a lightswitch?" Kari asked. "Gatomon, cats see good in the dark."

"Not this dark," Gatomon said. "But there's a wall here, and a doorframe...Kari, run your arm over the wall and see if you can find it."

Kari did and found one next to the door. She turned it on and flooded the room with light. It was small with white cinderblock walls. There was no furniture, nothing to indicate what it was used for. "It must not have a purpose yet," Kari mused.

"The light makes a difference," T.K. said, blinking, getting used to the brightness.

"Yeah," Cody agreed. "Now, I bet this is that Arukenimon's headquarters. So Ken must be in here somewhere."

Kari nodded. "So let's get looking." She stepped out into the hall, and gasped. "I think I know why she isn't using this room..."

"What is it?" T.K. asked, joining her in the hall. "Gah!"

There was row after row of blank walls. It was a veritable labyrinth.

"This could take a while," Gatomon said, flatly.

"Too bad they aren't cubicles instead," T.K. said. "Then Patamon could fly above us and see what kind of pattern they're in."

Cody grimaced. "Well, let's start walking."

* * *

Yolei slumped against a wall in the stairwell. They were trying to hide from their antagonists in a dark spiral stairwell near the main engine. Wormmon knew the base inside and out, and had directed them to it. They had gone through a barely noticeable door into another main part of the base. They were still fairly out in the open, but Arukenimon would have to find the _door_ first. "I hope we're far enough away from them here," she whimpered. Halsemon had de-digivolved to Hawkmon, and the group was huddled in a small pile against a wall. Davis and Yolei were trying to let their digimon and Wormmon sleep.

Davis cocked an eyebrow. "I think they'll be too busy chasing T.K., Cody, and my _wife_ to worry about us for a while."

"She might have sent that Mummymon dude after us while she went after the others, or vice versa."

"Don't be such a downer."

"Well, Davis, have you forgotten that we, T.K., Cody, and your wife are all trying to save _my_ husband?!"

Davis looked down. "Sorry. But I'm as worried about Kari as you are about Ken."

It upset Yolei a little, and she wasn't sure why. "At least you and Kari have had time together. You've had five years together, and a few months married. I've never even been kissed on the lips by my own husband!"

"What?" Davis blinked in shock. How was it possible that Ken had refrained from kissing the one he loved? It would have killed him to never kiss Kari.

"Yeah. He has this little habit of kissing me on the top of my head, and he did it even when Elecmon said he could kiss me during the ceremony. We were sitting on the bed, and he took me in his arms," --and here Yolei began to break down with every phrase-- "And he was about to kiss me--when Arukenimon showed up and ruined everything. Ruined absolutely everything."

"Oh...I'm sorry." Davis had started a quarrel for the first time since they'd been battling, and for the first time ever, he was apologizing.

"It's okay," Yolei said, "You didn't know."

"But I still feel bad about making you feel bad. Forgive me?"

"Sure, why not?" Yolei stuck out a hand, and Davis shook it.

* * *

Twenty minutes passed, and the group on Arukenimon's turf had not figured out the pattern of the rooms.

"Hey, does it seem like we're going in circles?" Upamon asked.

"It all looks the same, so of course it seems like that," Cody explained.

"No, he's right," Gatomon said. "The path, the way the hallway is, is curved." She stopped and scratched what she meant on the floor. "Kind of like a circle."

"And all these crossing halls are spokes?" Kari asked. "Hey! Could that be it? Like a wheel?"

"Duh! We're slow today!" T.K. cried. "It's a spider's web pattern!"

"Of course!" Cody said, bopping himself on the forehead. "She's a spider, remember? It makes perfect sense, and I bet that Ken's in the room in the center!"

* * *

"How long are we going to wait here?" Yolei asked.

Davis shrugged, but she heard it more than saw it in the dimness. "I dunknow. We can't feed them, so they need as much sleep as we can let them have."

"I guess," Yolei said, her voice wavery.

A few minutes passed in silence.

"Davis?"

"Yeah?" Davis opened his eyes halfway. He was almost asleep himself with the boredom of waiting--although he preferred it to the dangers of battle.

"Do you suppose they're all right? Cody and Kari and T.K., I mean. And their digimon."

"Why wouldn't they be?"

"Well, I was thinking. Mummymon didn't necessarily come from Arukenimon's world, dimension, wherever it is that she's keeping Ken."

"So?"

"So they went where he came from. If he came from somewhere else, they won't find Ken because he won't be there."

"Yolei, we'll worry about that when we have a way to get to Arukenimon's HQ."

She nodded, but it didn't reassure her or keep her from wondering.

* * *

They had reached the round room at the base's center, and T.K. was the one to find the door on the far side. "Over here, guys!"

Kari, Cody, and the respective Digimon joined him and Patamon.

"Shall we?" Kari asked.

"We'll never know anything until we find out," Cody said sagely.

T.K. put his hand on the knob, and was surprised when it wouldn't open under his touch. "Aw, damn it, it's locked."

* * *

Ken heard voices, and forced himself to consciousness. Arukenimon was nowhere to be seen. "Hello?" he called.

The only response he got was to hear an attack.

"Lightning Paw!" The door to the room crashed apart and fell inward, Gatomon standing atop its wreckage. She turned to the group waiting outside. "Anyone ask for a lock-picker?"

Kari laughed. "Gatomon lock-picking service. What doors can we destroy for _you_?"

Ken sighed in relief. Kari. Kari was the one Yolei told her secrets to, he knew. If anyone would sympathize and help him out, it would be Kari. "Hey! Help me down! I'm over here."

Kari rushed in, and T.K. and Cody were not far behind. "Ken!"

Oh, peachy. Cody. His biggest adversary. Cody would not accept him, even now, when he was trying to go back and fix his past mistakes and atone for the wrong he'd done.

"Kari, please...help me off of here. And, help me find Yolei." He kept his tone low and quiet. He didn't want the proud-sounding voice of the Emperor to slip through. As far as he was concerned, he was finally, once again, just Ken.

Kari stared, wide-eyed. "This is terrible," she said. There were tears in her voice. "Yolei told us all what your plans were. I'm glad." She immediately came close and started unbuckling his right foot from the wall.

"Glad of what?" Ken asked as his foot came free. He bent his toe downward and was pleased that the toe of his shoe hit the floor. He wasn't going to fall and pull his arm out of its socket when she undid one of his hands.

"That you're sorry. That you're fixing everything back how it was."

He almost blushed, but he managed to control it. He was surprised at how fast the unconsciousness wore off, and he realized that most of it was induced by Arukenimon, and that when she wasn't around to make him stay in it, there was no reason for him to do so naturally.

By now Kari was on the last buckle on his arm. As soon as his wrist was free, his feet moved to be flat on the floor, and he reached for his arm to rub it. Having his arms above his head for a long period of time had done its share to make them fall asleep, and they were still so dead, there was little or no feeling. And then, the rush of pinpricks. It hurt like hell to move so much as a millimeter. He held his hands out straight until they subsided.

The first matter of concern was his new wife. "Where's Yolei?" he asked again.

"She's fine, the last we saw," Cody said.

"Last you saw?"

"We don't know where she is now or what she's doing. Davis is with her, though. And Wormmon."

Ken sighed. "Wormmon? He can't do much for her, but he'll give everything he's got." He hoped it wouldn't come down to Wormmon giving his life to save Yolei.

"Au contraire," T.K. said, "He has an attack that beats Arukenimon's."

Ken's eyes widened in shock. "You're kidding."

Kari shook her head. "No. We all saw it work."

Ken shook his own head. He kept his eyes on the floor. "And all this time I..." His voice cracked, hard as he willed it not to. "I've been so terrible."

T.K. reminded them of the circumstances, his jaw set determinedly. "It doesn't matter right now. We need to worry about getting back to your base. I don't think Arukenimon is as strong here, but we have an advantage. She'll battle us wherever we are, and if we're there..."

Ken caught on. "I'm sure I can hack into her computers and find us a way there."

* * *

Yolei shivered. Sleep had claimed her for a while, but cold had creeped in strong enough to wake her. She realized that everyone else was awake. "Davis..."

"I know it's cold," he snapped.

"I think it's an ill omen."

"How so?"

She was about to answer when the sound of metal against metal was heard. Everyone froze.

"Kuso!" Davis cursed under his breath.

Suddenly, the air that had seemed too still for so long was ripped apart with the sound of Mummymon's machine gun. "Arukenimon, darling, over here!" The door fell to the floor, having been shot open.

Hawkmon and Veemon became Shurimon and Flamedramon--better fighters than Halsemon and Raidramon.

Davis tried to calm Yolei. "Calm down. We're uphill from them, it's easier for us to attack than _be_ attacked."

Yolei just stood, tensed, waiting for them to show.

She waited only seconds.

"Spider Thread!"

"Snake Bandage!"

"Double Star!"

"Fire Rocket!"

"Sticky Web!"

The first firing of attacks went in the DigiDestined's favor.

But they both knew that they couldn't keep up this fight-hide-fight-hide routine forever. Arukenimon needed to be defeated--soon!

* * *

Kari watched Ken intensely over his shoulder. She understood little of what he was doing, but he assured them that he was inside Arukenimon's files and would have it any minute.

"Ah! I think we've got something here!" he said, and T.K., Cody, and the digimon all leaned over his chair.

"What is it?" Cody asked.

"I think I've found the portal program." He brought it up and typed quite a bit. "Is everyone ready to get back to the base?"

Normally, in the old days, they all would have shouted in the affirmative, but now the most enthusiastic response they dared to give was a somber nod.

Ken hit one last key and the wild ride began. Within minutes, they were back in the Control Room, but no one else was there.

"This is where Davis and Yolei were," Cody said, distraught.

"The battle has moved elsewhere," Ken figured out. "Wormmon will have taken them to the stairs near the main power room. It's easily defensible there, and he knows that. Come on, let's go."

The three digimon Armor digivolved. Kari pulled Cody up behind her on Nefertimon, and T.K. grudgingly let Ken behind him on Pegasusmon. Digmon would have to be pretty fast to keep up, but it wasn't anything he couldn't handle.

Ken gave the directions, and planned their attack. They would soon defeat Arukenimon, he was sure.

* * *

Yolei shrunk back from the battle in fear. Things were not going good. They would soon be running again, she knew.

Davis pulled her to her feet. "If we have to run, I want you to be _ready_ to run," he insisted. She frowned, but nodded.

"Snake Bandage!"

"Fire Rocket!"

"Sticky Web!"

A pause.

"Spider Thread!"

"Equus Beam!"

"Nande kuso?" Davis and Yolei cried simultaneously.

Yolei looked up. Her face immediately brightened, and she raised her arms and shouted in delight, "It's T.K. and Kari! And Cody! And _Ken_!"

"Yolei!" Ken called. "It's okay!"

Pegasusmon and Nefertimon landed on the steps above Davis, Yolei, and the raging struggle. Cody and Ken both got off, and Davis ran to join his wife aboard Nefertimon. He hugged Kari snugly around her waist and pressed a kiss to the back of her neck, but there wasn't really time to show what he was really feeling. The digimon took back to the air to battle. In the midst of the inferno, Cody and Ken ran to Yolei. Cody beat Ken and bear-hugged her. "I was so worried about you!" he cried.

"That's funny, I was going to say the same thing," she laughed. It felt good to be happy.

Ken knelt next to Wormmon. "I...am... _so_ sorry any of this ever happened." Wormmon looked up, tears threatening. Ken continued. "And I'm sorry I was such a bakayaro to you all this time. As badly as I always treated you, you still saved...my precious Yolei...and for that I'll always be in your debt..." He scooped up the digimon in his arms and hugged him.

"I forgive you, Master," Wormmon said.

"No. No. It's Ken. I am Ken. I don't want to ever hear you call me Master again."

"All right...Ken."

Ken wiped his eyes on the back of his sleeve, and realized he was still in his gray pajamas. At least they didn't look like pajamas. Now that he had settled things (for the moment, anyway, he still had a lot to do to make up to Wormmon)--the next order of business was to make sure for himself that Yolei was all right. As soon as Cody backed away from Yolei, Ken came close and slipped his arms around her waist. "I was so scared...that bakayaro bitch threatened to kill you right before my eyes..."

"I'm all right," she whispered, hugging his neck.

He might have kissed her if there had been time, but just then, Digmon exploded through the steps below Arukenimon and Mummymon. "Rock Crackin'!"

Ken smiled, and let go of Yolei. "I told him where the weak points were, and where to drill..."

A portion of the steps caved in, taking Arukenimon and Mummymon with it. "Back! Back!" Arukenimon cried, and both she and Mummymon vanished before they ever hit the bottom hundreds of feet below.

"Kuso!" Ken cursed. "If they would've fallen, there's no way they would have survived! There's no way that they won't be back."

Davis repeated Ken's cuss from up in the air. "I guess we have to go somewhere else. We can't stay here. The steps are too weak."

Ken nodded his agreement. "Let's go."

Digmon de-digivolved to Armadillomon, and Pegasusmon flew down to where he was so T.K. could pick him up and bring him back to join the others.

"Everyone! Up the stairs!" Ken said. He picked Wormmon up again, and started carrying him, his free hand entwined in his wife's. Cody got up behind T.K., and Flamedramon de-digivolved to Veemon so he could ride Nefertimon with Davis and Kari. The only ones walking were Ken, Yolei, Wormmon, and Hawkmon, who had also de-digivolved from Shurimon.

There was not a room at the top, or rather, not a floor. There was a multi-level drop down to the bottom of the basement floor.

"This is the main engine," Ken told them. "I don't know when she's going to show but I know she will. I suggest everyone make themselves comfortable."

"Wait!" Davis said. "One more thing." The flying digimon had alighted on the stairs, and he dismounted Nefertimon and walked over to Ken. Looking at Ken with as serious of a look as he could muster, Davis said, "The enemy of my enemy is my friend. We're both fighting Arukenimon, and you've said that you're going to dismantle the Empire. You're on the good side. You have a digivice and digimon. You must be a DigiDestined. So, join us."

Ken blinked. "You really think I'm a true DigiDestined, just like the rest of you?"

"That would be my guess." Davis stuck out a hand. "Well?"

Ken blinked again.

"What's it gonna be?" Davis asked.

Yolei squeezed Ken's left hand. "I'll be by your side no matter what. But I hope it never has to be a decision for me."

Ken blinked yet again, and slowly reached out his own hand. He moved it all the way to Davis's palm and finally grasped his hand. "I'm doing it."

"All right!" Davis cried. "Score one for the good guys!"

Ken blushed as the rest made a big thing of congratulating him. When things had settled down, everyone sat on the steps in their own spot to get comfortable. They were in for a potentially long wait.

Wormmon came and put his head in Ken's lap, a picture of perfect trust.

Kari sat one step in front of Davis, between his legs, and he slipped his arms around her from behind and just held her. For once they were content to display their affection in a calm and steady manner. They were quiet, and still. They were comfortable in the stillness as well as the fever.

T.K. and Cody each sat with their digimon, and in fact, all the digimon save Wormmon flocked near them, somehow sensing that the two couples needed to be alone for the time being.

Yolei scooted over to Ken and leaned against his side.

"Yolei, I'm not in the mood to be--"

"I'm not in the mood for romance or affection, either. I just think you need to know that I'm here for you." She moved her hand to the other side behind him, thereby placing her arm across his back, around his waist. She laid her head on his shoulder and sat in complete silence.

"Thanks," he whispered. He wanted silence, he wanted to think. He'd just officially become a DigiDestined, and he was fighting for the other side. He had to use his knowledge of the base he'd built for evil to defeat evil.

He sighed. Things were so complicated.

But things finally seemed right.

And Yolei was right. Her very presence and her promise to stand by his side forever was a very comforting thought.


	14. Chapter 14

Arukenimon sat in her chair in the room at the center of her HQ and played with a strand of hair. "I could create a new Digimon for them to fight."

Mummymon looked over at her, standing for lack of a second chair. "Whatever you say, Darling."

"Don't call me that!"

"I'm sorry, sweetie-pie."

"Mummymon, I am not interested."

"But, Arukenimon, honey-sugar-darling! I won't lead you astray like that girl did to Ichijouji."

"Stuff it!"

Mummymon groaned, but said nothing.

Arukenimon was upset that he had that stupid infatuation with her. She was attracted to intelligence--not very unlike the Ichijouji boy. He was smart, smarter than her. But Arukenimon was sure that she could out-wit him. He might have more brains, but she was conniving.

"I don't think I'll make a Digimon. They'll tire out sooner or later in that base with no food supply."

"True!" Mummymon said, trying to display nonexistent intelligence.

"Oh, shut up."

* * *

Ken tried to sit still. Yolei and Wormmon had fallen asleep using him as a pillow, and his slightest move could deprive them of much-needed rest.

He had not thought of anything, any location more defensible. Nothing was coming. Usually he had no trouble coming up with a new strategy, but in this situation there was really nothing they could do but what they had been doing. He knew they couldn't keep it up forever. They had no way to restore their strength, and they'd soon be hungry. As a matter of fact, his stomach was already rumbling.

He heard someone stirring off to the right, and realized that it was Davis slowly pulling away from Kari, who had also fallen asleep. In fact, he and Davis were the only ones up. Davis gently laid Kari over the steps, and she didn't bat an eyelash.

"What are you doing?" Ken asked as loudly as he dared.

"Exploring, what else?" Davis said. He climbed to the top of the stairs and looked around. "Hey, is there anything else down there besides the engines?"

"Yes..." Ken started, but Davis's actions caught him off guard and he never finished.

Davis grabbed a rope attached to a pulley hanging near the opening to the engine, jerked on it a few times, and with a resounding "Yeeeeehaaaaa!" grabbed hold of it and let himself off the edge.

"Davis!" Ken yelled, jumping up, leaving the two using him for a pillow scared out of their wits. Ken immediately ran to the top of the steps and looked over the edge. Davis was swinging around, trying to get off on the floor in the middle of the room. The engine room was constructed like a thermos, a cylinder within a cylinder, and Davis was in between the two cylinders, trying to get inside the middle one.

"Davis, are you insane? Get back up here!"

* * *

Davis heard Ken but ignored his orders. This was kind of nice, not being a prisoner, free to do his own will as he pleased. He swung the rope across the room, and finally caught his foot on the floor where he wanted to be. With a few calculated moves, he was up exactly where he wanted to explore.

He heard a relieved gasp from above, and Kari shouted, "Davis no baka! Omae o korosu!"

He smiled at her empty threat, and then sighed as he realized he'd scared her, and that was why she was so upset. He was going to owe her big time when he climbed back up that rope. It dawned on him that he would have to find another way up, because the rope was closer to the outside, and he'd never be able to reach it, but he'd worry about that in a minute. He was too busy looking. All that was in this room was a small pedestal with a little gold thing sitting on it. He came closer to inspect the gold thing, and it started glowing.

"Aaah!"

"Are you okay?" Kari's worried voice came from up above, sounding far away.

"Yeah, I'm fine!"

"What's that light?"

"I'll let you know as soon as I find out!"

He stepped closer to the glowing thing. It actually started to float a few inches above where it had been sitting. He stared.

A beam of white light with a black shape outlined in it flashed at him. The shape looked something like a stylized flowerbud, with a leaf coming up each side. Then, the white light disappeared, leaving him bathed in the golden glow.

A weird urge possessed him, and he reached out to pick it up. As his fingers brushed against it, he knew what it was, but could barely believe it.

It quit glowing for the time being, and, for lack of a better place, he zipped up the blue-and-red leather jacket that amazingly still fit, and stuffed it down his shirt.

He looked around, and finally called up to Ken in defeat. "How do I get up there?"

Ken sighed loudly. "There's a ladder on the outside of the inner cylinder. You climb up as high as the floor below us, and then you'll find a walkway across to the inside of the outer cylinder. Then a crawlspace through it. On the other side of that you'll be on these same stairs and you'll have to walk up to us."

Davis nodded. "Just a minute!"

It only took him a few minutes to get to the staircase, but he didn't get to go too much further.

Between him and the rest of the group, Arukenimon and Mummymon appeared out of nowhere!

"Kuso!" T.K. cried. "Everyone attack!"

"But Davis--" Kari tried.

"He'll be okay, it's us we have to worry about!" Cody yelled. "Now Armor Digivolve Gatomon!"

Kari whimpered, but nodded. "Digi-Armor Energize!"

"Spider Thread!"

"Snake Bandage!"

The battle was short and scrappy. No one won, but the digimon were quickly back to their original forms. Veemon seemed okay, but he had only attacked, and not digivolved.

Davis saw what was going on, but remained in the shadows. He pulled the golden thing he'd retrieved out of his jacket and stared at it.

_What the hell am I supposed to do? I'm pretty sure it's a DigiEgg, but it's special. It doesn't have any of the older kid's Crests on it. And it's gold. Gold...golden armor..._

And without really thinking about it, he knew. He held the DigiEgg out at arm's length atop his right palm.

"Golden Armor Energize!" he yelled.

His digipartner, even though he was roughly a floor above him, felt the surge of energy, and rushed into the digivolving process.

"Veemon Golden Armor Digivolve to...Magnamon!"

Davis's eyes opened wide. It was the Super-Digimon he had wished for! Wow!

Magnamon himself was blue, but was plated with tough golden armor. And he was a lot bigger than Raidramon or Flamedramon. And he could float above the ground. That made it nice, because he was almost too big for the stairwell, and so he floated back into the space between the inner and outer cylinders. The DigiDestined and the rest of the digimon all backed up to the walls as Arukenimon and Mummymon climbed to the top of the stairwell to follow this new adversary.

Davis himself rushed up to where his friends were, shocked as they were. He reached for Kari and hugged her. "The next time I start to do something stupid like that, remind me how _stupid_ it is."

She nodded into his chest. "Don't worry about it. I'll remember. But what was that?"

"I think it's Golden Digi-Armor. And I think it's just what the doctor ordered."

All the DigiDestined watched in suspense as Arukenimon and Mummymon attacked Magnamon simultaneously.

Magnamon paused momentarily, and then released his own attack.

"Magna Blast!"

The DigiDestined and digimon held their breaths.

Magnamon's attack blasted through the webbing and the bandages.

It blasted through Arukenimon and Mummymon, too, knocking them straight back into the far wall of the stairwell. They sat there for a minute, stunned.

No one said a word.

Mummymon pixilized into scattered information. But Arukenimon barely noticed him, or his scream of pain, as she stood to her feet.

"It's not over, big guy," she said. "It takes more than a nasty fall to get rid of me. I may be going down, but if I am, I'm not going alone. Spider Thread!"

She shot her attack straight towards Ken.

He pushed Yolei away and stood firm, waiting to be enveloped in the attack, to be destroyed.

For the second time, he was sure it was all over.

And then...

What the hell was that damned beeping? If he had to die, couldn't it be without his ears ringing?

"Wormmon...digivolve to...Stingmon!"

Ken didn't hear it. He was aware only of a large dark green presence in front of him taking the full brunt of the attack and nearly falling on top of him, but saving his life in the process.

He heard a voice shout, "Spiking Strike!", and whatever was on top of him flew up, and Ken realized that it had beaten Arukenimon's attack.

"Magna Blast!"

Very satisfied, Ken watched Arukenimon scream and pixilate.

"This way!" Davis called. "We need Nefertimon, Halsemon, and Pegasusmon _now_!"

The three required digimon were digivolved, and everyone was dragged aboard.

Ken only knew that he was on Halsemon behind Yolei, and they were leaving the base. The base was malfunctioning. He could hear the code red sirens.

But who was leading them? He and Wormmon were the only ones of the group who knew the way, and _he_ certainly wasn't leading. It was all he could do to keep from falling off. Yolei had a firm grasp on his arms with her own, and seemed to be holding onto Halsemon with her legs.

They made it out of the base, and then Ken knew nothing. Questions could be asked later. He just had to sleep. Consciousness left him.

* * *

The group emerged from the base to find themselves on an open plain, and they immediately made for some sheltering trees nearby.

They had escaped just in time. Explosion after explosion was heard as the base itself pixilated. Thousands of enslaved digimon fled, the Dark Spirals pixilizing and setting them free. A few of the bigger digimon that were evil, even without Spirals, also pixilated--Kimeramon among them.

The DigiDestined watched in wonder.

"Wow..." Cody said, sliding off Pegasusmon's back. "That's amazing."

Yolei nodded from atop Halsemon. She reached around and carefully pulled Ken's limp body into her arms and slid the both of them off to the ground, trying not to hurt him. Cody was by her side to help support Ken's weight. He might have been skinny, but he had more muscle than either one of them had thought.

Halsemon de-digivolved.

"I don't want to wait around," Yolei said. "Help me set him down."

Cody nodded, and with a little effort the pair had him propped up against a tree.

"Davis, how long are we staying here?" Yolei asked.

"A little while, until we figure out what to do. Why?"

"Just curious if I had time to wake him up."

Davis nodded skeptically, wondering what she was doing.

Tentatively, she leaned over Ken, getting very close. She pressed her lips to his very gently, and was soon rewarded with a response. He started kissing back, his arms reaching up to encircle her waist, and then pull her down into his lap.

She pulled back very slowly, more than a little reluctantly.

"Ken, as much as I was enjoying my first kiss, we're not alone."

Ken looked around at the others and blushed. "Sorry..."

Nobody said anything, but a round of smiles appeared on everyone's faces.

Ken sighed and looked down. "Hey, I remember Arukenimon attacking me, and I remember we escaped...but I don't know why I'm still alive. Refresh my memory, Yolei?"

"Well, Wormmon digivolved and saved you."

" _Wormmon_ digivolved? Then that damned beeping was my digivice!"

Yolei nodded, laughing, and turned, holding out a hand toward Stingmon.

Ken blinked, repeatedly. This green digimon was huge, and very obviously a great fighter. Ken closed his eyes, shook his head, and looked again. He rubbed his eyes and looked one more time. "Worm...mon...?"

"Actually, Ken, it's Stingmon at your service." Stingmon flew over and looked at Ken.

Ken knew that with the shell-like skin Stingmon had, he didn't have a conventional mouth, and that it was impossible, but it looked for all the world like his new-found Digipartner was smiling.

Ken smiled himself at the thought. A real, true smile, not one of his old half-smiles.

Stingmon now let himself de-digivolve, and sure enough, there sat Wormmon. Ken reached out and hugged him. "I'm proud of you," he whispered. Wormmon just blushed and smiled.

"So now what do we do?" T.K. was asking Davis.

Ken set Wormmon down, and he went off to join the other digimon. Then Ken turned toward the others. "Uh, Yolei?" he asked, and she got off his lap so he could stand, and he helped her to her feet. "Hey, guys," he started.

The rest of the group turned to look at him.

"I was thinking, perhaps we could use one of those TVs scattered around the forest like back in the old days? We could, you know, go home?"

"We were discussing that, Ken," Davis said, "But the thing is, we don't know if everyone's family is still living where they used to."

Ken nodded. "Good point."

"But, you know, if nothing else, I bet my family is still where they were. I mean, you know, the store was just downstairs," Yolei said.

Kari sniffled, and immediately Davis was at her side. "What is it?"

She looked up. "Well, it's just, the idea of facing our families. I mean, the older DigiDestined probably know what happened to us, but everyone else, even our parents--unless Tai and the rest told them the truth--will all think we're dead. And they'll all have changed, too."

T.K. nodded, following her meaning. "We don't know who of our family is still alive, or if any of our siblings have gotten married--"

"Hell, most of _us_ are married," Ken said.

Cody nodded. "Yeah. Things will be different. But I think Yolei has a point. Her family will probably still be there. That's where we'll start."

"If we can get back to Earth using one of those TVs," Davis reminded them.

This brought a choked little sob from his wife. She tried to say it under her breath, but in her emotional state, she said it almost out loud. "So much for pregnant women avoiding stress."

Everyone's head snapped in her direction at once.

She looked up, and gasped. "Did I say that out loud?"

Yolei was the first one to have it sink in, and she nodded, blankly. She left Ken's side long enough to put a hand each on Kari and Davis's shoulders, and herd them away from the rest of the group. "I think...that...maybe...you two...need to talk..."

Kari nodded, and pulled Davis a bit further away.

Yolei returned to the group. "I think we'll give them a few minutes."

* * *

The first question that Davis was able to formulate was, "Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

Kari hung her head. "I wanted to make it special, Dai-kun. And I'm not even sure."

He started pacing a circle about a foot in diameter, throwing his head towards the sky one minute, taking Kari by the shoulders the next, not sure what to think. He was enjoying being a husband--and now he was--might be--a _father_!

"Well, what _do_ you know?" he finally asked, looking her straight in the eyes.

She blushed. "I've skipped for three months. And my clothes are getting snug."

It was enough proof for Davis in their lack of a physician. "Well, Kami, now we _have_ to get back. Ken may be a genius, but he's no doctor."

"But...I mean...aren't you upset?"

Davis blinked. _Hell no!_ He grabbed her roughly by the shoulders, and for a second Kari thought he was going to push her to the ground.

But he didn't, not by any means. He kissed her--forcefully, but not unpleasantly. He pulled away from her face. "What does that tell you?"

She hugged him, burying her face in his shoulder. "I was sure you'd be upset...we're so young..."

"We're married. And I love you, Kari-chan." He kissed her right below her ear. "And if I'm old enough to marry you, I'm old enough to accept the responsibility. And...Kari-chan...we may not have planned on this, but you've gotta admit, it's pretty amazing." He kissed her cheek.

"You're not angry?"

"No. We're married, Kari-chan. And even if we weren't, I'd feel the same about the responsibility."

She nodded. "I love you, Daisuke." She kissed his cheek. He turned his face and kissed her lips.

* * *

It wasn't very long before Davis and Kari returned to the group which had abandoned all attempts at conversation.

Yolei looked at Kari, who was hanging her head, blushing, avoiding everyone's glance, and then at Davis, who was beaming. "So it's true?"

Kari looked up, blushing tomato red, and nodded.

"Way to go Davis!" the three guys cheered in unison. It sounded planned, but there was no way to be sure.

Davis laughed. "Well, it wasn't entirely on purpose, but, hey, y'know, it's not a bad thing, not a bad thing." He picked Kari up off her feet and sat, placing her in his lap, despite her dignified gasp of protest. "So what's the plan?"

Ken looked around at the fading light. "I suggest we build a fire, get a good night's sleep, and first thing tomorrow morning start looking for one of those TVs. It's a faulty plan, because we don't know if we'll ever find one, but it's still the best so far."

The others agreed and went on carrying out the arrangements.

* * *

Yolei sighed. The campfire thing had sounded appealing at the time, but she'd forgotten that it meant that they all had to sleep together in the same spot. So no honeymoon for her and Ken just yet.

It didn't stop them from wrapping up in each other's arms for warmth. Davis and Kari did the same thing. T.K. and Cody each had their digimon. Gatomon, Wormmon, Hawkmon, and Veemon laid down next to each other in a row--and Gatomon made sure it was in that order. The last thing she needed was Veemon breathing down her neck. Even if their DigiDestined were together--and they were, Kami, Kari was bearing his _child_!--she saw nothing in Veemon.

Yolei clung to Ken's shirt, having decided that she was never leaving his side again. One day of worry over what was happening to him was one too many. She loved him, too much to be without him again.

He seemed to feel the tug, because his arms, wrapped around her waist, seemed to tighten. She moved her arms upwards, up around his neck. She buried her face in his chest, briefly enjoying his scent. It didn't last long, though. He lifted his arm long enough to tilt her face up toward him. "I want to be able to see you, Yolei. To look at you and be amazed with the fact that you're really mine."

She smiled, and reached her head up and gave him a peck on the lips.

He slowly bent his head to give her a soft caress of a kiss on the lips that lingered several minutes. They both wondered if it was possible to go _anywhere_ to be alone, but neither one voiced it. Besides, everyone would know why they were headed where they were.

"Yet another reason to hurry home, right?" Yolei whispered.

"Assuming home is what it was...oh, Kami, Yolei, what the hell are your parents going to think of me after we explain where you've been?"

Damn. She hadn't thought of that. The Kamiyas and Motomiyas would all be happy, and no doubt the Ichijoujis would be proud to see that their son had brought such a lovely girl into their family, but with the way Ken had treated them-- _before_ he changed, Yolei was sure to clarify in her thoughts, saying it out loud later would come more naturally if she did that--the Inoues might not be so happy with their daughter's choice.

Yolei wondered what her parents had thought of her sister's choices--assuming they'd married. Mimoe and Chizuru were the types that might not have. She sighed. "Can we worry about it later?"

Ken held her closer. "What will you do if they don't accept the fact that I _have_ changed?"

"It won't affect me any. I'll still love you, and I meant that stuff about 'until death us do part'. That means, by your side, _for-ev-er_. Period."

He kissed her again, for once not able to find the right words. Her devotion made him speechless.


	15. Chapter 15

Cody was the first one up, but he was reluctant to get anyone else up. T.K. he might not have minded, but it was those couples that bothered him. Kari was on top--yes, on top--of Davis, his arms around her waist, her head on his chest. Yolei was snuggled against Ken's side, her head on his shoulder.

Cody was surprised that it didn't anger him. He wasn't sure if he was happy to see his best friend happy, or if he was truly ready to accept Ken as a DigiDestined, but he looked at them and almost felt a sense of calm wash over him. Ken was already very protective of her. That made Cody glad; Yolei needed a guy who was that way, but also was not paranoid if she simply conversed with another male--another male such as himself.

He wondered what would await them when they got home. He was sure that his grandfather had gone on to join his father. He had told himself that many times over the years, so it was not a new thought. But now he might be finding out for sure, maybe before the sun set that very evening.

T.K. stirred across the fire from him. "Anyone else up?"

"Just me," Cody offered. "Even Upamon is still asleep."

"No surprise there, Cody. He's always asleep."

Cody smiled, just a little. It wasn't that T.K. wasn't funny, but just then, he didn't feel much like laughing. He was too worried over what had happened at home.

Eventually the others all got up, and the digimon found a sufficient fruit supply for the group's breakfast.

"Now, which way?" Yolei asked Davis.

"Well, I'm not exactly sure," Davis tried. "Maybe in the forest? We're right on the edge of it, and there's nothing in the other direction but that empty field. So if we go the other way, into the forest, we might find something."

Ken nodded. "That makes a little sense, after all, if there was a TV in the field, we could probably see it from here, but with all the trees here, a TV could easily be hidden."

"Then let's go," T.K. said. "No point in standing around here."

So the group started walking.

"This feels like the old days, huh, T.K.?" Kari asked.

"Yeah, sure does. Wandering aimlessly through the DigiWorld until we meander across a worthy cause, fighting, walking again... _those_ were the days."

Kari giggled. "It sure wasn't like that the second time. We never had to go far to find a fight--assuming we didn't fall into one directly--oh, sorry, Ken. I didn't mean to--"

"I know. It's all right."

Yolei took his hand.

Davis tried not to be too protective of Kari in her new state. He'd never had a pregnant wife before, but he knew better than to irritate her. _No point in_ triggering _a mood swing. When do those start up, anyway? And she said her clothes aren't fitting like they used to. I can't tell. Should I tell her? Would she be happy that she's still thin, or upset that she's not showing? Will she start having really weird cravings? Mom said once that when she was pregnant with_ me _, she craved pickle-and-peanut butter sandwiches. Is Kari going to be the same way? What if something happens? What if she craves something we can't get in the DigiWorld? Would it...mess up the baby? I mean, what's going to happen?_

"Davis, what's wrong?" a voice came from atop Davis's head.

 _Busted_. "Nothing, Veemon." Okay, so technically, it was _Demi_ Veemon, but who actually said that whole name every time?

"Fibber."

"Am not."

"Am too!" DemiVeemon chirped. "So, tell me. Tellmetellmetellmetellmetellme!"

Davis sighed. "It's nothing."

"You never worry about 'nothing'. Tell me or I'll tell Kari you won't tell me."

Rats. He had discovered a new trick in the past few weeks, one that always worked on Davis.

"Okay, I'll tell you-- _if_ you promise _not_ to tell Kari."

"Okay! I promise!" DemiVeemon held up one paw like a Boy Scout.

"Well, see, I'm worried _about_ Kari. You do understand how the whole pregnancy thing works, right?"

"Yeah. It's like there's a DigiEgg in her stomach, and it grows and grows for a long time, and then it hatches inside her and the baby comes out."

Davis snickered. "Something like that. Close enough. Who explained this to you?"

"I asked Gatomon last night."

"Riiiiight." Somehow Davis suspected Gatomon knew better than that, but had dumbed it down so DemiVee could follow along. "Anyway, did she tell you that when women are pregnant, it makes them get upset easily? And they get kind of grouchy, and they eat things they don't even like and stuff like that?"

"No...do they?"

Davis sighed. Sometimes his digimon was even more thickheaded than he was. "Yes. They do. And I'm worried about Kari. What if she wants something--weird--to eat and she can't get it? Will it...you know...mess up the baby? You know, stuff like that."

DemiVeemon was about to say something comforting when Cody yelled, "Hey! Guys! To the right! TV!"

The way it sounded--like Cody was a desperate couch potato--was very different from what was actually implied. An actual cheer went around the group.

"Home we go!" Davis cried.

"Hey, wait a minute," Yolei said. "What time is it?"

Ken checked his watch. "Five," he said. "Why?"

"Okay. I just wanted to be sure school was over. Can you imagine what would happen if we showed up in the computer lab in the middle of the day?"

The group laughed.

Davis walked up to the TV and held out his digivice, and was about to say those wonderful words, but he stopped short. "Ken, you do the honors. You were responsible for keeping us here, it's only right that you be the one responsible for taking us back."

Ken hesitated, but everyone else agreed with Davis and said so.

Yolei squeezed his hand. "The sooner you do it, the sooner we all get to be home."

That did it. He held out his digivice and yelled, "DigiPort Open!"

Like no time had passed, the DigiPort did indeed open, and the now _six_ DigiDestined, followed by their digimon, flew through and back into the real world.

* * *

Even the pile-up in the computer lab was just like old times.

Well, almost.

This was the first time Davis quickly untangled himself and asked Kari if the baby was all right.

"I guess now we call your parents, Yolei," Cody said.

She looked up. She had been looking forward to this for a long time, but now that it was here, she had so many doubts.

"I guess we use the pay phone in the hall?" Kari suggested.

"That works," T.K. said.

The six walked out into the hallway, and Ken stood next to Yolei as she reached for the phone. She paused. She picked up the receiver and put it to her ear. She stuck out a hand to start dialing.

And then started crying.

"What is it?" Ken asked, concerned.

"This is going to sound stupid...but...I can't remember the number." She hung up the phone in irritation. Ken reassuringly placed a hand on her shoulder, and she began flipping through the phone book.

"Here it is. Inoue. And at my old address!"

Everyone sighed a breath of relief.

Ken dialed the number for Yolei.

"It's ringing," Yolei confided. "Hello? Is this the Inoue residence?"

The voice she heard was so welcome, so musical falling on her ears. "Yes, it is. Who is this calling, please?"

"Mom? Mom! Mom, it's me, Miyako! Yolei! Mom! Mom! Hello?"

A gasp. No doubt a hand flying up to the heart. "Yolei?"

"Oh, good, you're still there."

"Yolei?"

"Yes, it's really me! Mom!"

"Are you all right? Where are you? Where have you been? Did you and the others go together? Where?"

"I'm so glad to be back! Yes--yes--the others are with me."

"The police suspected as much--"

"I see. Yes! Yes, we've all been together...if you'll get the place ready for company, we'll all come."

T.K. tugged on her sleeve. "We'll all fit in my dad's van. I'll call him. We're all calling home anyway. I'll have him drive us."

Yolei nodded and relayed the information to her mother. "We'll all be there in an hour or so--be ready for a lot of people."

"You're coming home?"

"Yeah, me, the others, our Digimon, and everyone's families." Yolei did some quick calculating. "Counting the digimon, it'll be...twenty-five, I think."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, there's another guy besides the ones you're thinking of. Will it be too much trouble?"

"No, no, anything, just hurry here!"

"I swear, in one hour. I can't wait. And call Mimoe, and Chizuru, and yeah, call Mantarou, too."

"I will, I will, but, Yolei! I can't believe you're back! It's really you!"

"Yeah, it is. I can't believe I'm home, either. Okay, Mom, really, everyone else needs to call home and have them go to our house. I will be there! I swear! Yes, it really is me! We'll all see you there! Bye, Mom!" Yolei hung up and sighed. She threw her arms around Ken's neck. "They're all alive! Oh, Kami, I'm so happy!"

T.K. got the phone next, since he was arranging their ride. He decided to try to call Matt first. He searched through the phone book and found only one Ishida Yamato. His dad's number was there, too, but his brother was first on his mind. He quickly dialed the number.

"Moshi, moshi, Ishida desu. Talk to me." Good old Matt. Time hadn't changed much about him, either.

"Matt."

T.K. heard Matt audibly gasp. There was a pause. "Ta...Takeru...?"

"Matt! Hey, the group just got back from a lovely little jaunt into the DigiWorld. How long did you convince Dad to stay out on that camping trip before calling the police?"

"Kami, it really is you! T.K.! Where the _hell_ have you all been? Are you _all_ there? Are you all right? What the hell happened?"

"Hey, slow down the Q and A session. We're all here. And the newest DigiDestined, Ken Ichijouji. Hey, we really _did_ stay in the Digital World until we defeated him. Nevermind the fact that we were prisoners of war until yesterday--"

"Are you referring to the Kaiser?"

"Yeah. He has his wife, Yolei, with him, too."

There was a pause, and then, "T.K.--we can talk later. In person. Where are you?"

"You're right. Call Dad, break the news to him, and have him bring the van out to the school. Yolei's mom is having everyone--all the kids, all the parents--over. We'll talk about _everything_. After you call Dad, call Mom and have her meet us there. And you come, too."

"T.K.--sure. Anything. It's been so long. I've missed ya, little bro. Hey, see you there!"

"Yeah, Matt. I can't wait to see you, either. We're all as curious about what's happened to you as you are about us. Hurry! Call Dad. And break it to Mom gently."

"Oh, no, she's convinced that you're not dead. She thinks you were all kidnapped or something. But it'll be a shock that you showed back up."

"Yeah. Bye!"

"Bye!"

Cody got the phone next. He remembered his phone number, but he looked it up in the phone book to be sure that his family still lived where they used to. They did.

He dialed the number slowly, deliberately.

"Moshi, moshi, Hida desu, Mrs. Hida speaking."

"Good!--you might want to sit down."

"What? Who is this?"

"Mom--it's Cody." He heard her sit down. "Mom--I know I've been gone a long time. I tried to contact you, but nothing ever went through. I am so, so sorry. But, Mom, I'm going to be at the Inoue's apartment in about an hour. Go there, I will see you as soon as possible. Mom? Mom, don't cry."

"Is this some kind of cruel joke?"

"Mom--Mom." Cody scrambled. What was there that only his mom knew? "Mom, remember that the night before Dad died, I had that terrible nightmare about Dad and everything?"

"Iori! Son! You're alive! And--you're coming to the Inoue's?"

"Me and all the others and their families. Go. I'll be there. I swear. I want to see you again."

"How can I know you'll be there? What if this is the last time that I--"

"No, Mom, I'm back. I'm staying. I'll never leave like that again. I never meant to. We'll explain everything there. Now, hurry. Go. Yolei called Mrs. Inoue, so she'll be happy to talk with you until we all get there. I will see you as soon as possible."

"All right, Cody."

"Wait--one more thing--how--how is--Grandfather?"

Mrs. Hida laughed. "Same as ever. Still teaches kendo, still misses you. We'll both be there."

Cody started to cry. "Kami, I was so worried that he'd--" He swallowed. "I'll see you there. Tell him I'm sorry, too. I love you both. I'll see you there."

"I'll be counting the minutes, son."

Davis then had his turn. His parents had moved, but they were still in the same town. The number was different, but he dialed quickly and stood while it rang.

"Moshi, moshi, Motomiya desu. Jun speaking."

"Jun? Man, what are you doing still living at home?"

"I don't! I'm visiting! Who the hell is this, anyway? Jerk!"

"Ah, my sister. Always willing to hear the other side out before starting an attack. You don't even recognize your own brother's voice?"

There was a pause. "Is it really you? Really?"

"Yeah."

"If you're really Daisuke--"

"It's Davis!"

"If you're really Daisuke, you'll know what I always called you when Mom and Dad weren't there to get me in trouble."

Davis sighed. She _would_ make him repeat it in front of his friends. "You called me Goggle-brain."

" _Kami! He's back from the dead! Mom! Dad! Get in here! It's Daisuke!_ "

Davis sighed. Would his sister never learn?

His mother's voice came on the line. "Davis? Daisuke, hon? Is it really you?"

"Ask Jun. I just proved it to her. Mom, take Dad, and Jun, I guess, and go to Yolei's place. Me and the rest of the kids are coming there. I'll explain _everything_."

He heard his mom ask Jun if it was really him, and when Jun answered in the affirmative, his mom came back to the phone. "We'll be there, Daisuke. We'll leave right now. We all miss you. We want to see you so bad!"

"Oh, and, uh, Mom...I'll be bringing my wife."

He heard someone gasp, and the phone drop. Then Jun was back on the line. "What did you say to Mom to make her faint like that? Dad almost didn't catch her!"

"Just that I was bringing my wife."

"Oh, Kami, Daisuke, you're kidding--"

"No. I'm not. She's right here if you want to talk to her."

Her tone told him she didn't believe him. "No, no, we'll see for ourselves. Where are we supposed to meet you?"

"Yolei's place."

"Okay. We'll leave as soon as we wake up Mom."

"I'll see you all there." Davis hung up before anything else could be said. He wasn't surprised that his family hadn't been more eager over the phone. They all preferred to show their affection in person. And, true enough, his and Jun's idea of showing their affection towards one another was arguing.

Kari was on the phone next. She looked up her brother's phone number same as T.K. had.

A woman's voice answered. "Moshi, moshi, Kamiya desu."

Kari almost dropped the phone. She shouldn't have been surprised, though. "Sora?"

It sounded like Sora herself almost dropped the phone. "Kari?"

"Sora!--I found Tai's number in the phone book--your name isn't with it--but--wow! I always knew you two--"

"This is Kari, right? Where are you?"

"It's me, all right! Listen, Sora, get Tai--wherever he is--and get over to Yolei's place. All of us are back. Me, Davis, T.K., Cody, Yolei, and Ken. We're all going to Yolei's. We'll all explain. Have Tai call our parents, too. Have everyone come. Hey, as a matter of fact, call up the old group. Joe, Izzy, and Mimi don't know yet, either. Call them. Oh, wait, Mimi's in America, so she can't make it, but call everyone else and have them come, okay?"

"Actually, Mimi's back in Tokyo. She'll come. But, that's Tai, your parents, Mimi, Joe, and Izzy, right? At Yolei's place ASAP? And Ken's on our side?"

"Yes, that's right. The part about Ken, too. We'll explain there, okay? A lot has changed for all of us."

"Apparently! I'll get Tai. And everyone else. I'll see you there."

"Okay, Sora, bye!"

Kari hung up. "My brother married Sora! Yes! Way to go, Tai!"

"Tai and Sora?" T.K. asked. "Not that big a surprise, but--wow."

Davis nodded. "Tai married? Whoa..."

Kari slipped her arms around Davis's waist from behind. "Not any more amazing than _you_ being married."

Davis seemed to be thinking. "Hey, this means me and Tai are related! I never thought of that before."

Kari sighed, but kissed his cheek anyway.

Ken finally had his turn. He dialed his old number. He knew his parents would never have moved. The old apartment held too many memories of Sam--and, he realized now, probably of himself.

"Moshi, moshi, Ichijouji desu."

Ken felt himself crack at the voice. His mother had finally decided to go on with her life. There was no sad undertone. He drew in a deep breath. "Uh--Mama?"

"Who is this?"

"...Mama...it's me--I'm back. Mama--it's Ken."

"...Ken...? You're back? Where are you? I have to see you! Ken! My baby boy! Ken!"

"Mama, please, don't get hysterical. I'm all right. I promise I'll never run away like that again. Mama. Listen."

"What is it, Ken? I can't believe it's you! Ken!"

"Mama. A lot of my friends and I are gathering to explain where we've been and be reunited with our families. I want you and Papa to come." He told her Yolei's address.

"Of course, Ken. Anything to see our little boy again! Ken!"

"Oh, and Mama. One more thing. I'm not so little anymore. I'm twenty-one, remember? And--well, Mama, there's no easy way to say this, but...I just got married. My wife, Yolei, will be with me."

"Ken! Oh, we have to meet her. I'll call your father right away and we'll be there as soon as possible! Oh, Ken, I'm so glad you're safe!"

"I'll see you soon, Mama."

"All right! I have to call your father. I'll be there, Ken. See you there!"

"Bye-bye, Mama." Ken hung up.

T.K. looked around. "Okay, now that we've all gone through what could be the most traumatic experience of our lives..."

He got a laugh out of Davis and Yolei.

"I think our ride's here," Kari said. She was standing next to the glassed wall that surrounded the door to outside. "Isn't that your dad's van, T.K.?"

T.K. ran over next to her. "It is! I'd recognize that P.O.S. anywhere!" He broke for the door. "Dad! Dad! It's me, T.K.! Dad! Dad!"

Mr. Ishida had already climbed out of the van and was racing for his son.

"Takeru!"

"Dad! Dad!"

The two met in the middle of the parking lot in an unrestrained embrace.

"Dad, it's so great to see you! You haven't changed a bit!"

"I wish I could say the same of you!" Mr. Ishida held his son out at arm's length. "You've grown a foot, literally! And--and--it's good to have you back, son."

"I missed you, Dad. But, really, we need to get to Yolei's place. Come on. We're going to explain everything to everyone. The sooner we get there, the sooner everyone else will appreciate it."

"Right. Everyone in the van--let me see if I remember everyone's names." Mr. Ishida called each name as the climbed into the back seats with their Digimon--of course, T.K. was up front, next to him. "Um, Kari, Davis, Cody, Yolei, and--and? There were only five of you--hey, you're that kid who ran away. The genius--Ichijouji, isn't it? You were on TV for a long time after you disappeared."

Ken nodded. "Yes, sir. That's me. But that was a long time ago, and I've changed."

Mr. Ishida nodded. "I wouldn't want to talk about it either. Get in and we'll go."

Ken nodded again, and ducked, climbing into the van.

On the way to Yolei's house, most of the conversation was between T.K. and his dad.

"I'm guessing this disappearance had something to do with these Digimon."

Patamon, settled atop T.K.'s head, stood up a little. "It wasn't _our_ fault!"

"No, no, I'm not saying that, but, you've been in that Digital World, haven't you?"

T.K. nodded. "Yeah. We were...prisoners."

"But you're all right, son?"

"Yeah, Dad. We weren't treated badly. In fact, besides the confinement to our assigned space, we lived pretty much like we did at home."

Mr. Ishida nodded. "So, who kept you prisoner?"

Yolei blushed. T.K. was about to answer, but Ken stopped him. "It was me, sir. But, I've changed, and asked their forgiveness. They've all forgiven me and allowed me to join their ranks. I only hope that you and the rest of their families can be equally understanding."

Mr. Ishida nodded. "I see." He pondered. "Ken, is it?"

Ken nodded.

"Well, Ken, if you had killed my son, I couldn't do this, but since he's forgiven you and trusts you now, I can forgive you."

The thought of killing T.K.--or any of the group--repulsed Ken. _How could I have ever been such a monster? I_ know _Arukenimon must have been telling the truth about controlling me. I would never have done half the things I did of my own accord!_ He bowed his head. "Thank you, sir."

* * *

All was quiet at the corner where Yolei's family lived.

"They're all inside," Cody said. "Look at all the cars. They _must_ be here."

Everyone agreed.

"Dad, go ahead. Let them know we're here. Prepare them a little. We'll give you a five-minute head-start."

"Right," Mr. Ishida said, and headed for the stairs.

* * *

It was Joe who happened to be closest to the door when Mr. Ishida rang the bell. He answered and let him in.

Those who recognized Mr. Ishida all looked to him to hear his verdict.

He held up his hands for quiet. "I know you're all wondering if the calls you've received were really from your children, your siblings, your friends. You've debated that it sounded so much like them, and who would set up such an elaborate scheme just to disappoint you? Who else could know what they told you? What other explanation is there? And I also know you've all been waiting for me, because I'm supposed to be bringing them. I am pleased to report that I _have_ seen them, they _are_ here, waiting to come up and be reunited with all of you, exchange details about our lives. I have brought them back, I have talked with my son, there's no doubt in my mind. This is no hoax--they're really here!"

The reaction was wondrous. Everyone was shocked, pleased, excited, wondering what changes had taken place, scared of finding out, a whole jumble of emotions.

"But--" Mr. Ishida held up his hands for silence again. "Wait. One more thing. Where are the Ichijoujis?"

A short, dark-haired man stood up, and an even shorter, plump woman with short, curly brown hair stood up. "That's us," the man said.

Mr. Ishida nodded. "Your son is with them. Now, I haven't heard the whole story, but from what I gather, your son is the one responsible for all the rest of them being missing all this time. Now, everyone, they've all forgiven him, and he's on their side now. He's joined their team. He's very sorry for all the pain he's caused, and all he wants now is your forgiveness. He and all the others claim he's changed. I believe them, and I've forgiven him. I think that all of you should give him the same chance."

Murmurs went around the group. Mrs. Ichijouji was crying into her husband's shoulder--whether they were joyful tears of having her son back, or distraught tears over Mr. Ishida's little speech was unclear.

Mr. Ishida went to the door. "And now, ladies and gentlemen, our families." He opened the door and the six filed in. T.K., Cody, Davis, Kari, Yolei, and Ken, each holding their digimon.

Pandemonium.

Everyone clamored to be the first to greet them. Everyone had someone they particularly missed. Matt and Ms. Takaishi were all over T.K., Cody ran to his mother and grandfather, Davis's parents and Jun were all near him, Jun giving him a noogie, and he tried to introduce them to Kari in the confusion. It was hard, though, because Kari had Tai and her parents, too. Finally the Kamiyas and Motomiyas realized they were family, and were all clapping each other on the backs, exchanging congratulations, the like. The two moms started crying, and cried even harder when Kari revealed that she was carrying Davis's child. Yolei had three siblings and her parents to contend with, and poor Ken was practically smothered by his mom, his dad standing nearby, trying to get her to back off so he could see his son. After they finally got Mrs. Ichijouji settled down a bit, Ken explained that Yolei was his wife now, and another round of two families realizing they were related came around. Mrs. Ichijouji smothered Yolei this time. "You married my baby! You're such a precious girl!"

The Digimon talked among themselves, but decided it wouldn't be worth the trouble to try and chat with the humans. Humans could better explain things to those of their own kind.

Sora, Izzy, Joe, and Mimi waited it out, and after the initial shock had settled, and everyone had taken seats with a plate of refreshments brought up from the store, conversation began. The story was told of how the kids had found out at the beginning of the school year that they were DigiDestined, and about Ken (controlled by Arukenimon) being the Kaiser, everything. Of course the parents of the second generation of DigiDestined wanted to know more, and the first generation told their story, too.

Then came the part that the six younger DigiDestined found most interesting. They got to find out what everyone had done in their absence. The "loss" of the six had inflicted its share of pain, but things had had to go on without them.

Tai, now twenty-four, had gone through college. He had continued to be his school's star soccer player, and decided to go pro. He and his team were among the soccer champions of the world. He and Sora, also twenty-four, had married during their college years, and she traveled with him wherever his job took him. When she was in Tokyo she helped out around Mrs. Takenouchi's flower shop. And, also, a Kamiya junior was on the way--Sora was five months pregnant.

Joe, going on twenty-six, had become a doctor just like he'd always wanted--a obstetrician/pediatrician at the local hospital, working with his young patients from birth to three. Mimi had become a fashion designer. She'd gone from working under others to owning the hottest boutique in Tokyo--no, in all of Japan. Their lives seemed to clash, but they didn't think so. They'd dated through Joe's last two years in med school and married just after his graduation.

Also, Joe's brother Jim had gone on to do what he wanted. He was now a director of fantasy films, making a name among the great filmmakers--Spielburg, Kurosawa, Kido. He'd married the actress who played the heroine of his first box-office hit.

Jun, at twenty-three, was still in college. She'd taken a year off before going out to college and now was in her last year. She was majoring in business management. She had a steady boyfriend and things were getting serious, but as yet she was not engaged.

Matt was making a name for himself, having released four platinum albums in the same number of years. At twenty-five, he still didn't have any steady romantic attachments. He'd come close a few times, but things had always broken off. He said he wanted to be sure that she was in it for love, not money or fame.

Yolei's siblings had all done pretty well for themselves. Mantarou--twenty-six--was a television talk show host. Mimoe--twenty-four--had left college to marry one of her fellow students, and was now a happily-married mother of three. Chizuru--twenty-three--was a stockbroker in a trusted firm.

And, last but not least, Izzy. Even though he was only twenty-three, he was the president and C.E.O. of Izumi Computers, the world's largest computer company, with the world's fastest Internet access and best service and most economic computers and their laptops went the longest on one battery and--well, they'd pretty much killed Windows and kicked Bill Gates' butt.

But, now, there was still one big question left.

Now that everyone was home, what was going to happen to them?

Where would they go?

* * *

That night, T.K. stayed with Matt, and Cody went home with his family. The two married couples posed a challenge; the problem of whose parents to stay with. Davis and Kari stopped any possible arguments before they got started by staying with Tai and Sora, but Ken and Yolei were still up a creek until their parents graciously offered to pay for a hotel room. They'd gotten it across that although they were married, they still had yet to spend a night alone together. Yet another reason for want of minimal parental interference.

It was late when the party disbanded, around midnight everyone went their own ways.

Of course, the parents were reluctant to let go, but things had to be the way they had to be. It became understood that the next day everyone would try and figure out what to do with their lives now that they had them back again.

* * *

T.K. flopped onto the couch at Matt's place. There were a sheet and a blanket and pillow at his disposal, but he didn't want to arrange them just yet. Patamon was sleeping soundly atop the pile.

"All that money, and you still live in an apartment? With no guest room at that?"

Matt grinned. "There's a guest room, it just hasn't ever been used. Geez, I never even furnished it. You'll be more comfortable on the couch than the floor, I'm sure. You haven't changed any. All that time imprisoned and you still like to _complain_. Hey, at least this place is clean."

"Thanks to which one of your girlfriends?"

Matt closed his eyes and mockingly pressed two fingers to his forehead in thought. "Uh, that would be the forty-something chick who wears false teeth and gets paid about a hundred dollars a day to clean it."

T.K. laughed. It was a very comforting thing to know that time apart did not make them any less of brothers. He could rib Matt as much as he always had with no fear of stepping on his toes. Matt remembered all their old inside jokes. Matt could still ruffle his hair and it still felt good, in its old irritating sort of way.

Of course, now that they were alone, Matt made T.K. listen to all his albums, starting with the newest and working their way back. T.K. enjoyed it; he would have liked the music even without the prejudice of knowing--being related to--the artist. Hell, the artist was his brother, the one who knew him best; the one he would always be close with, the one he would always trust.

The last song on the oldest album was the last song they listened to, and the one that affected T.K. the most. It was entitled simply "Ototochan". It was, of course, about him. It was a sad, mournful ballad about what it had been like for Matt to lose his only little brother. It hinted that there was a chance the loss was not permanent, but that Matt had accepted it as such.

T.K. cried.

It was, of course, exactly what had run through his own head many times about being separated from Matt all that time.

When he finally regained his composure, he asked Matt, "Why did you assume the worst?"

"It's my nature, Teek."

"Don't call me Teek."

"Whatever. But, seriously, there were a few times when we were both in the DigiWorld that I--well, never mind. But I figured that if I had my hopes up too high, I might get disappointed, but if I didn't, it would just make the joy of getting you back all the more amazing."

"And?"

"And I was right, as usual."

T.K. flung a pillow at him.

* * *

Cody walked around his old room. His mother had left it just they way he had. Of course that wasn't a problem, he always had been very neat and so it wasn't like there was dirty laundry or dishes on the floor. And, of course, she'd kept it clean. Dusted and vacuumed and such.

So for Cody, it was almost like stepping through a time warp. The picture of his father was still on the nightstand, the poster from the martial arts exhibition his grandfather had taken him to still over the bed. Same pale butter-colored walls, same faded beige carpet--even though the rest of the apartment had been redone.

He went to the closet. Even his clothes were still in the same order--of course, none of them would fit anymore.

Even Upamon sat in the same spot on his desk.

Cody smiled. Upamon was tired, and was falling asleep on the desk. He picked him up and put him on the bed.

"Thanks, Cody," the small digimon whispered sleepily before drifting back into oblivion.

Mrs. Hida walked into the room. "Your grandpa ran off to the 24-hour department store to get you something you could sleep in. Tomorrow we go shopping."

Cody shook his head. "Mom, no, you don't have to get me stuff--"

"Nonsense. It's been six years since I've had a son to spoil, and I have a lot of time to make up for."

Cody smiled. It went against his nature to talk back, anyway. "Well, if you insist."

"I do. Now, we'll be leaving in early in the morning, so as soon as your grandfather gets back, I want you to get some sleep."

"All right, Mom." Cody went over and hugged his mother tightly. "I missed you."

"Not as much as I missed you," she whispered.

* * *

Kari cuddled up to Davis. The guest room in her brother's house that they were staying in was spacious and comfortable. Sora was a wonderful hostess, and Tai had said he would take care of the two of them until Davis could.

But those was the least of her concerns.

"Davis, are you really happy about the baby?"

He kissed her forehead and shifted so that she was laying on top of him. "Yes. Yes, I am."

She let out a breath somewhere between a moan and a sigh. "I mean, really? You don't think it's too soon or anything like that, do you?"

"Kari, really. What will it take to make you understand? I love you. I love this child. We weren't planning it, but it's definitely a pleasant surprise."

"I was kind of afraid to tell you--"

"Kari, you should never be afraid to tell me anything. I'm your husband. I love you. And you've trusted me with so much, you ought to trust me with everything."

"You're right." Kari sighed. "Forgive me?"

He kissed her in answer.

* * *

Yolei sat on the edge of the bed as before, waiting for Ken to get out of the shower. She'd already taken her own. True, they could have gone together, but Yolei kind of had her heart set on that huge honeymoon-suite bed for the first time. There was always the next morning.

Finally, he emerged from the bathroom. She wasn't surprised to see Ken and not the Kaiser this time, but she couldn't help but feel a little shiver down her spine anyway. He was shirtless this time.

She smiled. "It's about time. I, uh--locked the door, and put up the 'Do Not Disturb' door-card thingy."

He laughed. "Then there's nothing stopping us, right?"

"At last."

He came and sat in front of her as before. He took hold of her shoulders, and they kissed.

This kiss was unlike any they'd shared before. More passionate.

She wrapped her arms around his neck, and he had his around her waist. He pushed her back, and they inched towards the center of the bed.

He slid her glasses off and laid them carefully on the nightstand. The motion, his fingers so near her face, made her shiver.

He stretched himself out on top of her. She could feel every inch of him touching some part of her. It was scary and exciting and arousing all at once.

His fingers were light and gentle, as if he was afraid of breaking her. He kissed the top of her head, but she raised her face and moved his so that their lips were so close they couldn't help but kiss.

"It's for real this time, do what you want," she whispered huskily. "Go on already!"

Finally he felt comfortable--or desperate--enough to go for it. Sighs and moans came out at every turn, on into the night...

* * *

The next morning brought a harsh reality to all the DigiDestined.

The only way they could survive would be to go out as if they had never been imprisoned--at this point, even Ken considered himself a victim to lost years--and get jobs, or something, and act as if nothing had ever happened.

Of course, they could discuss it with their families. That was a given. But now they had to go from a teenager's comprehension of the world to an adult's practically overnight.

But, things would work out. They would survive easily enough. Secretly saving the world on more than one occasion generally gave you the will to go on despite your circumstances.

* * *

Yolei blinked again as Ken repeated his story.

"Listen. Izzy offered me a job with his company. He says as a sign-on bonus he'll pay the first month's rent and furnish an apartment for us--and he said it wasn't going to be cheap stuff, either. He wants it all to be nice."

"But--but--but is it what you want to do?"

"I always figured I'd work with computers or be an engineer or something anyway. I think I'll like working with Izzy."

"Well, if it's what you want, Ken, I'm all for it..."

He kissed her. "I'll call Izzy and tell him tomorrow."

* * *

Matt looked over at his brother. "Hey, T.K.?"

"Yeah?"

"How would you like to stay here?"

T.K. frowned. "I thought I was going to, until I got my first paycheck--"

"I hate to tell you this, but you're not going to be able to get a _decent_ apartment on the salary you're getting as a _salesclerk_."

T.K. frowned. His brother was probably right. "But, Matt, I don't want to be a burden--"

"It's not like you're laying around all day, bro, demanding for me to pay your way through life. _That_ would bug me. Tell you what. I'll fire the cleaning lady, you assume her duties, you keep a job, and we'll call it even."

T.K. thought about it for a minute. "I can't cook."

"The cleaning lady doesn't cook anyway. You think I'm going to hire a cook when I can cook so well myself?"

T.K. shook his head. "That ego never quits, does it? But you know, it sounds like a good idea. I'm staying."

* * *

Kari sat bare-bellied, looking at the ultrasound screen. The thing that the woman moved over her belly tickled a little through the clear gel. Davis stood by her shoulder, anxiously. Joe was watching, too. He was going to be her regular obstetrician, and wanted to see her first ultrasound. After the baby was born, he'd be its pediatrician, too.

The woman glanced at the screen. "There it is, you two. That's your baby." She pointed to a form on the screen. "Look. There's its face."

Davis's jaw dropped. "That's..."

Kari smiled. "Wow..."

Joe clapped him on the back. "Congratulations. It's official."

"Thanks...wow..."

There were still worries in Kari's mind, but she knew things would be okay. She and Davis were staying with Tai and Sora until Davis could get a job to take care of the both of them. Tai was protective of his little sister, and she knew that if anything happened, he'd be sure that she had the best of care.

Davis kissed her cheek. "This is so wonderful," he whispered.

"Yeah...it is..."

* * *

Several weeks passed.

Cody flipped through the mail.

There was an official-looking letter for him.

"Dear Mr. Hida, we are pleased to inform you that your high grades and passing of our test has gotten you accepted into..."

He dropped the letter. "Mom! Mom! Grandfather!"

Both the elder Mr. Hida and Mrs. Hida rushed into the room.

"Cody, whatever is the matter, son? What's the problem?"

"Mom! Guess what! I filled out an application, and I just got a letter back! I just got accepted into a law school here in Tokyo!"

Mr. Hida was flabbergasted, and Mrs. Hida could do nothing but hug Cody. "That's wonderful, son! Your father would be so proud of you! When do you start?"

"This fall..."

"Oh my, we have so much to do! We better get started!"


	16. Chapter 16

A year passed. Different DigiDestined hung out together a lot, but they hadn't had a formal reunion where every single DigiDestined got together since the younger generation had returned from exile. Finally, Tai decided that it was time, and called everyone together at his place. It was a great party, but the best part was catching up with everyone.

Tai and Sora's son, eight-month-old Kamiya Taichi junior, and Motomiya Sachiko, Davis and Kari's six-month-old daughter, were the main attraction. Both were little cuties that stole everyone's hearts.

Joe and Mimi announced that they were expecting a little one of their own in about seven months.

Izzy brought his new wife, Kameko, a young, dark-haired beauty. They'd only been married a month, and some of the DigiDestined hadn't met her before.

All the dancing was done to Matt's new album, full of happy, bouncy, celebration songs. In fact, the title of the album was "Celebration."

Davis had gotten a job in a restaurant, and had worked his way up to manager, then regional manager. He was over several of the chain's restaurants in the area. He and Kari had their own apartment. He also said that he'd talked to Jun a few days before and that her boyfriend had finally popped the question, and she'd said yes.

Ken's job with Izzy's company was going great. It wouldn't be long before he worked his way to vice president. Yolei said that she had hoped to give everyone good news--but she didn't have any. Yet. Little ones of their own would have to wait.

Cody was making wonderful grades at law school. He'd have no trouble becoming a junior partner in a law firm when he finally graduated.

T.K., however, was the one who surprised everyone. He had, in his spare time, written a book about their adventures in the Digital World. He'd sent it off to a publisher and gotten it back with a request. "The book was too hurried," they said, "But if you would take each chapter and rewrite it into a book of its own, we would consider this for a series. Send us the first one as soon as you finish." He'd rewritten, taking the first chapter of what would have printed at 300 pages and written it as a hundred-page book, and sent it off. That very day he'd gotten a response. They wanted to publish it as the first of a series! Of course, T.K. was thrilled. And, the publishers need never know that it was based on truth.

* * *

From Takeru's journal:

May 13

_I still can't believe that I sold my book! I'm going to be published! Since it's going to be a series, I hope that soon I can quit my day job and live off the royalties. That'd be great. It'd give me more time to write other stuff. I want to see if I'm any good at making up characters and plotting my own stories._

_It's hard to believe that at this time two years ago, we were prisoners in the DigiWorld. Back then, it was hard to remember what it was like to live here, and now it's hard to remember being a prisoner. I think Yolei has the hardest time remembering--after all, she fell in love with her jailer. But he's completely changed. Ken's a great guy. What he was is a terrible thought to him, and one that the rest of us can barely believe._

_I guess, now, on reflection, that being prisoners was the best thing that ever happened to us. I know I never would have written that book without that experience. Between all the reading and journaling I did in the Digital World, writing just started making sense to me, I guess. It came naturally when I started that story._

_And now, I have to quit for now. Patamon has fallen asleep on my desk, and I'm sure Matt's long since been in bed. It's late--3:27 in the morning, to be precise. I need sleep, and my writing is showing it._

_I never would have guessed that things would turn out so well. It couldn't have come out better had I written it._

_T.K.--Takeru Takaishi_


End file.
